Memories
by JoNaNaNa
Summary: What happens when Haruhi ends up in an accident? Will her life change? Or will her life be the same as it was before?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1- **The Dream

**Okay.. Hey there! :D Before we get this started, I just want to say that I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I wish I did because it's FREAKING AWESOME! Now, enjoy ;D**

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**~x~**

"_Haruhi?__"_

"_Yes, mom?__"_

"_Remember this dear, people can change but memories will never. Got that?__"_

"_Okay mom. But why would you tell me this?__"_

"_Because your father and I love you. Remember that too.__"_

"_Don__'__t worry. I will.__"_

**~x~**

Haruhi woke with a start. She sat up quickly, almost falling out her small bed. She ran her fingers through her short brown hair. "That dream! I haven't dreamt of that for awhile. But why would I dream of it now?" She said aloud as she pulled her knees up from under the baby-blue quilt that lay untidily in front of her. Haruhi gripped her legs, burying her face. She sighed. She really missed her mother.

She continued to sit like this for a few moments, cradling her face on her legs. The cream curtains rustled from the slight breeze that blew in from the open window. Haruhi shivered and wrapped her arms around her legs even tighter. She grabbed the quilt and wrapped it around herself. Her big, brown doe eyes gazed at the open window, wondering if she opened it or if her dad had done it. "It was probably Dad." she thought, "He must of thought it was too warm in here last night." She untangled herself from her quilt and lazily swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

She glanced at the arm clock. It read 8:05. She gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "8:05?! I'm going to be late!" she cried, while springing off the bed. She ran to her wooden wardrobe and started to change into her school uniform. At some point her Dad came and stood next to her door, leaning on the frame. He looked at his daughter. He knew Haruhi had been up all last night studying. He knew that she must stay on top of the class, but he was worried about her.

"Haruhi darling, what's with all the noise?" he pouted. He draped one arm across his chest as he rubbed his eyes sleepily with his other arm. He pulled his dressing gown tighter around himself.

"Huh? Oh sorry Dad!" Haruhi apologized, "I just woke up! I'm going to be late for school!" She finished buttoning her shirt and hurriedly did her tie.

"Oh no! We've got to get you ready!" He gushed as he put his hands on his cheeks, squeezing them slightly, "You have to look your best for school and the Host Club!"

She froze.

"I completely forgot that I had Host Club today! I'm forgetting everything!" She fumed.

She hurriedly fixed her tie and headed towards her bedroom door. Ranka moved out of her way and walked into her room. His eyes lingered on Haruhi's blazer that just lay over the back of her chair. He grabbed it.

"Sweetie! You forgot your blazer!" Ranka cried, running towards his daughter and thrusting it into her face.

"Thanks dad, now I better be going." Haruhi sighed, throwing her blazer on roughly, "I'll be leaving in 5 minutes."

Ranka hugged his daughter quickly and slipped past his waiting daughter.. Haruhi leant on the door frame, staring at her father until he disappeared to his room. She tugged on her black school socks and shoes. Checking that she had everything, Haruhi ran out the door. "How could I forget about the Host Club?" she thought, "Maybe it was just because I'm tired?"

How could she forget the Host Club? How could she forget Tamaki-sempai, the blonde King, Kyoya-sempai, the sneaky Shadow King, Hikaru and Kaoru - the Twins, Honey-sempai, the childish Lolita and Mori-sempai, the silent stoic giant? She loved each one of them dearly and she loved spending time with them. They were like her second family in a way.

Haruhi ran out from her room and into the bathroom, almost falling into the bath tub. She grabbed her toothbrush and squeezed on some toothpaste, but most of it landed in the sink.

"GOD! This is not my day!" Haruhi mumbled, brushing her teeth.

She held back her hair as she spat into the porcelain sink. She wiped her mouth with sleeve of the blazer she was wearing. She ran out into the hallway and into the kitchen, her footsteps echoing on the bare wooden floor.

Haruhi opened the nearest cupboards and searched for some food to eat. She hoped she would have some time to gulf it down before she left. She spotted a loaf of bread near the back of the cupboard. She Haruhi grabbed it and took two slices. Straightening up and closing the door, she set her bag on the table. Scanning through her bag, Haruhi made sure that she had packed everything for her classes. She zipped up it up and roughly threw it over her shoulders.

"Bye dad! I'm going now!" Haruhi yelled loudly, hoping her dad hadn't fallen asleep yet. She opened the apartment door, resting her hand on the door knob.

"Bye Sweetie! Have a good day! Make sure to tell the boys Ranka said hi! Love you, sweetie!" was her dad's reply.

Haruhi burst through the door, forcefully shutting it on her way out. She locked the door with her key and pocketed it. She sprinted to the steps that led to the ground floor of the apartments. She was on her second slice of bread now. She gulfed it down, barely swallowing it as she sprinted down the steps. She tripped on the last couple of steps but luckily landed on her feet .

"Thank goodness, I didn't hurt myself." She mumbled as dusted off her blazer.

She checked her watch. The time read 8:13. She was going to be late, but hopefully not by much depending on the traffic. The quickest route to school was going down into town and catching a bus. She knew the last bus for school was at 8:20. She checked her watch again. It read 8:14. She could make it if she ran and that's exactly what she did. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

She just hoped she didn't miss that bus.


	2. Chapter 2

******Chapter 2- Remembering the Third Music Room**

**Hey there! :D GUYS! Thank you so much for making reviews for me! I appreciate it a lot! Also, thank you again. And I mean it. I started this hoping a couple of people would enjoy this but my piece has gotten some views! I'm really please about this and I LOVE YOU GUYS ;D**

**Also, I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or any characters. Enjoy! ;D**

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**~X~**

"_Haruhi! My precious daughter! Where have you been?__"__ Tamaki gushed, running towards the only female Host with open arms. He grasped Haruhi tightly in a __'__fatherly__'__ hug as he liked to call it. His grasp tightened around Haruhi__'__s slender shoulders as he spun her around the room. His blonde feathery hair tickled her face which almost caused her to sneeze. She scrunched up her nose but a small smile was playing at the corner of her lips. _

"_I just went to the bathroom, sempai." Haruhi sighed, "And don't call me your daughter!"_

"_No! I will call you my precious daughter because you are!__"__ He cried, tears forming in his violet eyes. Tamaki sniffled, hoping that Haruhi would change her mind. Haruhi sighed again and tried untangle herself from Tamaki__'__s arms. Tamaki wouldn__'__t allow her to go so he held her even tighter and closer. She struggled some more, so she called in some back-up._

"_Mori- sempai? Can you help me? Haruhi yelled across the room. Mori was sitting at the window, staring out into the garden. He held one leg up to his chest, while the other fell loosely, touching the floor. One of his arms was draped across his knee while his hand on the other arm, ran through his jet-black hair. He turned his head to see the female host being harassed by the King. Without communication, his gray eyes had said __'__Of course, Haruhi. Anytime.__'_

_Mori-sempai briskly walked towards the two and lifted Haruhi easily out of Tamaki__'__s hold. Mori held her with such ease in a bridal style fashion. He carried her away, far from Tamaki. Haruhi jumped down from the tall man__'__s arms, stumbling slightly. Mori steadied her by placing his hands on her slender shoulders. Haruhi looked up into Mori__'__s gray eyes and she smiled up at him which was responded with a small smile from Mori. He straightened up and ruffled Haruhi__'__s hair affectionately as Haruhi blinked, a slight pink rising to her cheeks. Mori didn__'__t notice her slight blushing and strolled away, resuming his position at the window._

_She stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do. Spotting a comfy looking chair, she strolled towards to it and plonked her self down._ _Haruhi closed her eyes for a moment of relaxing. She felt someone breathe on her face so she peeked opened one eye and found herself eye-to-eye with the oldest host. She opened the other eye and smiled warmly. She hugged Honey tightly and Honey happily hugged tighter._

"_Haru-Chan!__"__ Honey beamed, __"__Want to eat cake with me?__"_

_Honey plonked himself down on Haruhi__'__s lap along with Usa-Chan. Haruhi smiled and ruffled Honey__'__s golden hair. It was so soft, so fluffy__…_

"_Of course, Honey.__"__ Haruhi replied. Honey-sempai was a dear friend to her and she loved spending time and eating cake with him. It was one of the things that made her happy. _

"_Yay!__"__ Honey sang, his brown eyes sparkling, __"__Cake time with Haru-chan!__"_

_Honey happily skipped away, searching for some delicious strawberry cake to share with Usa-Chan and Haru-Chan. Haruhi smiled to herself. _

_Haruhi stretched and rose from her seat. She was then greeted by an arm that snaked around her waist and an arm that snaked around her shoulders. Hikaru rested his cheek against Haruhi__'__s left cheek and Kaoru rested his head on Haruhi__'__s right shoulder._

"_Haruhi! We missed you!__"__ The twins both said simultaneously. Hikaru tightened his grip around Haruhi__'__s waist and his auburn hair tickled her nose. If this kept up Haruhi was sure she would end up sneezing on someone__'__s face. Kaoru__'__s hair slightly tickled Haruhi__'__s neck, making her chuckle._

"_What__'__s so funny, Haruhi?__"__ Kaoru asked, __"__You don__'__t laugh so early in the morning.__"__ Haruhi lowered her eyes and looked into Kaoru__'__s eyes. He look confused._

"_Your and Hikaru__'__s hair is tickling me!__"__ Haruhi breathed. She was trying her best not to laugh. She bit her lip, but a small chuckle was heard. _

"_Oh, you__'__re ticklish Haruhi?__"__ Hikaru smirked, __"__Kaoru and I never knew__…"__ He looked to his twin, they both nodded. Both of them at the same time, untangled their arms from Haruhi__'__s waist and shoulders. Their fingers both attacked her, tickling her lightly at her neck and stomach. Haruhi gasped._

"_Hikaru! Kaoru!__"__ she laughed, __"__Please stop! I__…__Can__'__t__…__Breathe__…__!__"_

"_Unhand her, you corrupt twins!__"__ Tamaki yelled, rising from his corner, __"__Don__'__t touch my precious daughter!__"_

_Tamaki charged towards the twins, who stopped tickling Haruhi when they saw an upset Tamaki run towards them. _

"_Kaoru! Let__'__s play chase with Tono. He__'__s it!__"__ Hikaru laughed. _

_Hikaru grabbed a surprised Kaoru by the arm and dragged him away from a speechless Haruhi._

"_Hmmph, so I__'__m only a toy to them__…"__ the female host grumbled, crossing her arms. But she enjoyed spending time with them nonetheless. Seconds later, Tamaki zoomed past, almost grabbing Kaoru by his collar. Haruhi just stood there, taking in the scene in front of her and laughed. CRASH! A couple of tea-cups fell from a table and shattered. _

_Haruhi felt a cold, hard hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she turned around, hoping it wasn__'__t who she thought it was. She looked up to the taller person. His eyes glared at her and Haruhi shuddered._

"_Haruhi__…"__ the Shadow King said darkly, __"__This will be added to your debt.__"_

_Kyoya pushed up his glasses while staring at Haruhi. He took out his notebook from his blazer and scribbled something into it._

"_But Kyoya-sempai! I didn__'__t break them!__"__ Haruhi argued, __"__Tamaki-sempai and the twins did!__"__ She pointed to the guilty three who stood at the end of the room, cowering behind a now standing Mori._

"_I don__'__t care Haruhi.__"__ Kyoya responded, __"__It will be added to your debt. End of.__"_

"…_Fine__…__"__ she grumbled, crossing her arms. Her gaze dropped to the floor. __"__Stuck-up rich.__"__ she muttered. _

"_I heard that Miss Fujioka!__"_

_She sighed._

**~X~**

The early morning sun shone down steadily, adding more colour to Haruhi's already red cheeks. The slight wind, whipped at her hair. She ran through the town, taking lefts, rights, diagonals like in a maze. Rounding a corner and sprinting past a couple of shops, Haruhi noticed something.

Was that Mori-sempai? She squinted her eyes, hoping to look behind the window. It was! What was he doing here so early? Mori looked up and caught Haruhi's gaze. His eyes widened in shock and he blushed slightly. Haruhi widened her eyes in return but soon smiled. She waved at him and ran on.

She rounded one more corner. Looking to see if any cars were there, she ran across the road. She heard footsteps behind her and turning slightly she saw Mori-sempai again. She gave him a quizzical look and he shrugged in reply.

There was a faint noise of car at the end of the road. She ignored it, she was still in the middle of the road but she was almost across. A car sped around the corner of the street, swerving slightly. The headlights sped at her like a bullet. All she could see was the black paint of the car, speeding at her. She couldn't move. Mori reached for her… but he was too late…

She flew through the air, finally landing a good few meters away. Her head banged against the cold ground. Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier, blood pooling around her. She whined at the pain. A warm pair of arms shifted her body, letting her lean on the persons chest. Her eyes were almost closed; her vision was red. Before she fell unconscious, she could see … Mori? His gray eyes were full of concern and he was … crying? He was saying something but Haruhi couldn't hear him. All she heard was ringing in her ears.

"Haruhi…. Haruhi… please!" He cried.

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**Hello again! I won't be posting for awhile. (I'm sorry!) I can't figure out what to do for Chapter 3 and I have exams soon :( So hopefully Chapter 3 may be out sometime next week (?) I'm fairly new to this and I hope I'll get this gist of this! And thank you again guys! Also, future chapters will be better written, hopefully without any mistakes (I think there's a really obvious one in this or the last chapter but ehh..) and quite longer. Okay then! Buh-bye now ;D **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - "Why, Uncle... Why?"**

**Hi there! I'm sorry for not updating in awhile! I have exams coming up soon Q_Q So anyways, thank you guys so much for all the follows and reviews! It means so much to me :') Thank you guys so much :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**But I really wish I do, because it's just AWESOME :D**

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Mori's POV:

I began my day like any other. I got up, got ready and then headed to my uncle's shop in the middle of town. He offered to drive me to school when I was finished but I refused, the bus stop wasn't that far. It was kind of him but I didn't want to trouble him and besides, he had family business to attend to afterwards.

I entered the familiar shop, the bell tinkling above me. I closed the door, heading towards the counter. The early morning sun shone through the open window, making my shadow dance across the floor. I stalked towards the counter and sat on the stool that squatted behind.

"Takashi? Is that you?" Uncle called, his low voice distant.

"Yes, Uncle." I replied quietly. I jostled my knee, looking for something to do. I leaned my elbow against the counter and rubbed my eyes. I was tired… most likely because I was up late practicing kendo. I had to though, I had to work hard to be on top. But it did pay off in the end, thank goodness.

Uncle strolled in from the connecting room, a smile beaming on his merry face. His hands were behind his back and he had a spring in his step as he bounced towards me. His long black hair, was tied with a white string which made his hair lie loosely over his shoulders. It was strange though. Everyone in my family had the signature black hair. All the men had short hair, it was like a tradition. But not Uncle, oh no, he had to keep his hair long… He told me it reminded him of the good old days. I closed my eyes again, burying my face in my hands. Pulling my hands down my face, I sighed.

"Old man got you practising late again, huh?" Uncle asked, placing his hands down in front of me. He stared at me, his gray eyes burning holes into my hands that still covered my face. He started tapping the counter, drumming a steady rhythm.

"Mmhmm, Uncle. Quite hard too…" I half grumbled, half mumbled quietly. I rested my face on my crossed arms.

"Well, it's what you gotta do son. To be the best at kendo." he replied, his cat like hearing picking up everything I had said. I looked up to him and saw how sad he looked. When Uncle was younger, he was amazing at kendo and I'm not just saying this because he is my Uncle, but he was simply _the _best. But long story short, an even more talented person beat him, injuring him in the process. He couldn't do what he loved to do anymore…

"Uncle…"

"T'is okay, Takashi. Never mind me. You should be doing some work before some customers start to come in."

The time flew past quickly. Huh, so it's true. Time does fly when your having fun, but where's the fun in clearing the Store Room, sweeping the floors, or dusting shelves or unloading boxes? No fun. Not at all. I checked my watch, the time reading 8:18. Hmm, I could probably get the bus. The bus stop is only down the road anyway.

I sighed and rubbed my neck, glad that my shift was over. I leaned over the counter and grabbed my bag. I shifted slightly and leaned against it. The sun was still shining strongly through the window, basking my face in its warmth. When I closed my eyes, I could see an orangey colour. I liked that colour, it was calming. A black shape darted across, I opened my eyes quickly and I spotted… Haruhi? She spotted me too and was shocked but soon smiled at me and gave me a small wave more like a flick of her wrist. What was she doing here? I blushed. I don't think anyone knows of me helping Uncle, the exceptions being Kyoya and Mitsukini.

She was oblivious to my blushing and continued running, her face telling me that she was determined for something. I threw on my bag and headed for the door.

"Uncle, I'm leaving now!" I said, loud enough for Uncle to hear. Even though he had catlike hearing, he would still be surprised to hear me so loud. I left before he had time to reply.

I ran out of the shop, sprinting after Haruhi. As she was much smaller than me, it didn't take long. She must have heard my footsteps because she turned round slightly and gave me a quizzical look, her eyebrow raised. I shrugged in reply.

We ran across the road and it all happened so quickly. To be honest, I can't really remember what did happened. The only thing I know was that a car swerved around the corner at a very fast pace. I tried to reach out for her but I was too late… The car hit her and I just stood there, my feet frozen into place. Haruhi flew up into the air, her arms spreading out. She looked graceful up there, as if she belonged to the sky. But that illusion soon shattered. She fell to the ground, her head banging painfully on the ground. I swore I heard something crack…

I rushed towards her. I didn't realise it but there were tears welling up in my eyes, and a few sliding down my face. I picked her up gently, I didn't care if her blood got on my uniform - she just looked so fragile, so broken… I held her gently but firmly in my arms. I felt it that if I held her any tighter she would snap.

"Haruhi? Haruhi? Can you hear me?" I choked out, my breathing became rapid and tears continued to slide down my face. I gazed down at her. She looked so fragile, delicate and worst of all, lifeless. Thank goodness she was still breathing… I held her cold hands, and stroked her face. It was cold, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"You're going to be alright, Haruhi." I cried, "Promise me that, okay? Haruhi…Haruhi…Please!"

By now, a group of some shop owners came out onto the street, taking in the scene. A few went over to the crashed car, to check if the person driving was still alive. I doubt he was, he crashed into a pole… Most of them came towards me. The few elder ones, gasped at the sight of Haruhi. I stiffened and held her more firmly. A man, about his late 30's, took out his phone and dialled the Ambulance. Then a kind looking woman bent down in front of me, her hand patting my shoulder gently.

"Hey there. Are you okay?" She asked quietly. Her voice was soothing and calming. I reached up and took her hand. "I recognise you, you are Isamu's nephew, correct?" I nodded, I couldn't speak. She looked up and searched through the small crowd.

"Shun! Run up to Isamu's shop and tell him what happened, okay?" She directed, as if taking charge until the ambulance came. "I'll stay with you until your Uncle comes, okay …?"

"Takashi." I responded quietly. I looked up into her eyes, a deep shade of brown, and just stared at her. I didn't know what to do… She grabbed my shoulder and patted it reassuringly.

A few moments later, my Uncle and the man Shun ran to the crash. He looked scared, worried and looked as if he would burst into tears at any moment. He spotted me and ran towards me.

"Takashi! What.. What happened? Are you okay?" he rambled. He must have spotted Haruhi's blood. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

"Why, Uncle… Why?" I choked. "Why did it have to happen to Haruhi? Why not me? I could have dodged it…." I began crying at this point. The tears wouldn't stop, they just kept rolling off my cheeks and onto Haruhi's face. Uncle squatted down beside me. He rubbed my back, trying to comfort me.

"Takashi…"

We sat like this for a few moments. I ripped off a piece of my shirt and tried to stop the blood flowing from Haruhi's injury - the blood pooled out from her head. I was worried, I had to be strong. She could wake up any minute now and scold me for worrying and also lecture me saying that there was no need to worry because head injuries always bleed the most. The kind lady kneeled beside Haruhi. She reached out her hand and grabbed Haruhi's cold one. Haruhi would be fine, I kept telling myself, she was strong and she wouldn't let something like this be the end of her.

An ambulance hurtled round the corner, skidding to a halt. A few paramedics bustled out. Two tending to Haruhi, one to the crashed car and one to me. A short lady in her 20's briskly walked towards me. She must have seen the panic in my eyes. She reached out her hand and patted my shoulder.

"Sir, it will be alright. She looks strong. She will get through this." The lady said. I simply nodded, I still couldn't speak.

"Do you mind telling me a few things?" the lady asked, "Such as her name, birthday and age and how to contact any family members?" I nodded again and took a deep breath. The other two paramedics asked me to let go of Haruhi so she could be put on a stretcher. I nodded stiffly. The lady was still waiting for me so I answered her.

"Haruhi Fujioka, 4th February, 16, and 0987654321 to contact her dad." I breathed. I fiddled my thumbs before building up some courage. "Would I be able to go with her to the hospital?"

The lady jotted down the information I gave her. She clicked her pen while giving me a stern look-over.

"What relationship do you have with Miss Fujioka?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. I wasn't offended or anything. In my eyes, it would be pretty weird too.

"Close friend of hers," I lied. Well I'm not technically lying. We are friends though.

"Hmm. Yes, you can. She needs all the support she can get."

She grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the ambulance. Uncle rushed behind me and span me around then gave me a bear hug. I could hear him sniffling.

"Be safe now Takashi. And take care of Haruhi, alright? I will be round later today and I'll try get in touch with her father." He gave me another one of his famous bear hugs and left.

Haruhi was placed on the stretcher inside. I took the seat beside her and clutched her hand. I don't know if this helped her, but it helped me. I was there for her. I would be there for her to pull her out of the darkness. I clutched her hand tightly, and prayed silently.

"Please… Please… Keep her safe…"

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**Hey, it's me again! Miss me? :P Anyways, you have read my chapter! Woo! Just to let you know, I'm quite bad at 1****st**** Person Narrative! Sorry! I just felt like I had to write it like this in this way. Also, I just searched up those Japanese names because the only one's I do know are girl names.. Hehehe!**

**And thank you again guys! I would really appreciate it if you sent me reviews on how you would want this story to go! I may use some of your ideas for later chapters :D**

**Okay now. I best be going. Stay awesome guys! :D **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- Time will tell**

**Hello. Sorry for not updating in awhile. I had exams to do and before that, plenty of revision. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the greatest, I think I've lost the swing of things. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

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Mori POV-

The ambulance whirled past the waiting cars, the sirens screaming. I glanced down at Haruhi, too afraid to look for long. She was pale; sweat was bunched up on her forehead. I gently swiped it off, careful not to hurt her. I clutched her hand tightly, and stroked her palm with my thumb. My mother did this to me when I was younger when I was sick, so I thought this would help.

We arrived at the hospital moments later. I was glad that there was a hospital near by. The paramedics tightened the straps around Haruhi, making sure she wouldn't move. One of them, a young man, came over and checked Haruhi's head brace. He glanced over at me, with these deep, sad eyes.

The doors burst open and a flurry of doctors and nurses cloaked in blue surrounded them. Haruhi was safely, but slowly, lifted out and put on one of those mobile hospital beds. They quickly wheeled her away and I just hoped, no _prayed_ that she would be fine. I descended slowly from the ambulance, and headed to the Hospital doors. The young paramedic from before jogged towards me.

"Do you want to stay with her?" the man asked, his voice quiet, "I can arrange it if you like."

I stared at him, clasping my hands behind my back.

"You seem close, and she needs your support."

I nodded.

A few hours later, I found my self sitting on the only chair beside Haruhi's bed. I was holding her hand, and stroking her fingers reassuringly. I wonder if she could feel them… she just look lifeless, like a doll. Pale white. Her hair was hidden behind the white bandages carefully wrapped around her head with tufts of her brown hair sticking out. Her chest rose and fell slowly. I took out my phone and checked the time. It was almost near 12. The screen told me I had about 5 new messages and 3 missed calls. I checked the messages.

Message 1:

From: Mitsukini

**Takashi? Where are you? School's almost starting, and you're not here! Hmm. Maybe you're sick? If that's the case, get well soon Takashi!**

Message 2:

From: Mitsukini

**TAKASHI~~! Where are you? We miss you! And Haru-chan's not here today either! I wonder what happened. Text soon, 'kay?**

Message 3:

From: Mitsukini

**Takashi, why won't you answer? I'm really worried! And Haru-chan's not answering either! Are you okay?**

Message 4:

From: Kyoya

**Mori… I know what happened. Please, take care of your self and Haruhi for the time being. I will try to come up with a way to break it Tamaki, Mitsukini and the Twins. I will inform them later on in the day as Haruhi needs to recover. I do not know how serious her injuries are but I was only informed that she was hit by a car. Please, look after her.**

Message 5:

From: Mitsukini

**Takashi… Is it true? Is Haru-chan really in hospital? Why? What happened? Why aren't you answering? Please, be okay. Kyoya hasn't told Tamaki or the Twins yet, just me. He must of though that they wouldn't be able to cope. I'll be around later, alright? For now, please be safe. And please, look after Haruhi.**

I continued to sit there for what felt like an eternity. I continued to stroke the palm of her hand and I continued to worry. Would she be alright? Only time would tell… I glanced around the private room. It was quite bare, just her bed and a little cabinet.

My back was sore, from being hunched over but I couldn't move. I had to stay beside Haruhi. I failed to protect her and now I must protect her at all costs. I was so occupied by just stroking her hand and staring at her that I didn't hear the door burst open. Or the screaming man who followed.

And there he was, a seething mass of fury. His long hair tangled, his cheeks bright red, his veins popping, his fists clenching. I couldn't look him in the eye. I had failed to protect his daughter… He must have noticed me not looking at him and then, he walked ever so slowly towards me. I still couldn't look at him…

A large fist connected to my nose, knocking me off my balance. I slouched back in my chair, dazed. Another one hit me square in the jaw. A series of fists, connected to my face. I swear I heard something crack. But I just sat there. Too ashamed to look up, too ashamed to defend my self. So, I just let him punch me, until his punches were getting weaker and slower. Blood was dripping down from my nose and busted lip, forming a little pattern on my shirt. I wiped the blood with the back of my hand, wincing as I did so. It really hurt…

"You! You little !&*%$£! What the hell happened to her, huh? What did you do to my Haruhi?!" Ranka yelled. I could hear his words but they were going straight through me. I bowed my head, and clasped my hands. I still couldn't look up.

"Look at me! What the hell happened?!" He screamed in fury, while slapping my cheek. He hit my nose by accident and I winced. He dug his long fingers under my chin and roughly raised my face. His ice-blue eyes stared right into my soul, with the most venomous look. His plucked eyebrows were bunched up, waiting for me to answer. But I couldn't, I still couldn't…

"Sir! Please, that's my nephew! Do not hurt him; don't you think he's hurt enough?" Uncle yelled. He ran up to me and inspected my face. He slapped Ranka's hand away, and then lifted my face. His gray eyes screamed with worry.

"Takashi. You must tell Ryouji-san what happened. He will understand."

Again, I nodded.

I looked up to Ranka, who was kneeling beside Haruhi. Tears formed in his eyes, and a few slipped down his face. He slowly turned to me, waiting for me to explain. I opened my mouth and quickly shut it, afraid to speak. Uncle noticed and pet my shoulder reassuringly.

I told Ranka the whole story from when I met Haruhi today and up until now. Ranka had calmed down by now, but was he was still seething. Hopefully not at me. He looked down to Haruhi and clutched her hand, pain etched across his face.

"Mori." Ranka's voice was quiet, but his voice slashed through the silence. "My daughter was harmed by that person. It was not your fault."

"But… I didn't… I failed to protect her."

"Mori. It is not your fault. I'm just glad Haruhi is safe now." He reached up and hesitantly put his hand on my shoulder, "I…just don't want to lose her. I already lost Kotoko. I can't lose Haruhi."

At that point, the Doctor came. He stood at the end of Haruhi's bed. He glanced up and stared at us, each in turn. The Doctor then explained that Haruhi sustained injury to her brain. The part of her brain that was injured was her cerebrum which controls her memory. He told us that he does not know where she can remember to based on the injury. But the Doctor did say that miraculously, she wouldn't need to go on machines or drips because her injuries weren't that severe. Before leaving, the Doctor had told us that she had to take it easy. Ranka stiffened at one piece of information the Doctor had said. Would Haruhi be able to remember her own father? Or… me? Before he left, he told us that Haruhi would wake soon.

The accident affected her memory. Would she remember me? Would she remember the Host Club? Would she remember Ouran? Only time would tell. But I hoped that even if she couldn't remember much of us, she would remember little.

Time would tell.

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**Yes, hello there. I hope you enjoyed that little chapter. It's not the greatest, but hopefully the future chapters will be better written and slightly longer (? - I don't know if you guys want them to be longer/shorter) But thank you for reading this. It means a lot.**

**Stay awesome guys. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- "Who are you?"**

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**Hello there guys. How are you today? Here is the fifth chapter! Before we get started, I would like to thank you guys for the reviews and follows. It honestly means a lot to me. Again, thank you. Just before we begin, I apologize for any spelling mistakes and incorrect use of grammar.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

* * *

The small room was deathly silent. The three men waited, holding their breaths as the girl before them started to wake. Her eyelids fluttered, her fingers moved slowly. Soon, she would wake.

Ranka stroked Haruhi's hand and whispered gently, as if coaxing her to wake. It must have worked because her eyes suddenly snapped open. She sat up quickly, almost falling out of her bed but Mori placed a large hand on her shoulder, steadying the said girl. She jumped at the contact and swivelled round, her eyes bulging. She lifted a hand and placed it on her bandaged head, wincing as she did so.

"Haruhi!"

Her head turned in the other direction. She was met with a pair of ice-blue eyes that appeared to be melting. Ranka threw his arms around his daughter and hugged tightly. He placed his head into the crook of her neck and sighed a big, long, relieved sigh.

"Da...d?" Haruhi said groggily, blinking slowly.

"Haruhi!" Ranka sniffed, his arms tightening around his daughter. Haruhi was safe. That was all that mattered. Haruhi's hand reached up and tentatively stroked the back of Ranka's head. Tears slid down his face and pooled at her neck.

"Haruhi… You're okay. You're safe now. Everything's fine now…" he soothed, while gently rocking forwards and back.

"Where… am I? How did I get here? What happened?" the dazed girl questioned, rocking slightly.

"You were struck by a car, sweetie. The doctor said that you hit your head pretty hard and that your memory has been affected by the injuries…"

"So… is that why I don't know who he is?" Haruhi stated, pointing a finger behind her. She was still as blunt as ever.

Mori stiffened. She doesn't remember…? _That must explain her shocked reaction_, thought Mori. But… She doesn't remember. He cast his eyes down, he couldn't look at Haruhi. He failed to protect her and the results were that she couldn't remember him.

"Excuse me…?" Haruhi said, tapping Mori's shoulder. Ranka just sat back in his chair, relieved that his daughter was alright. Mori looked up quickly.

"Takashi. Or also known as Mori. Call him Mori." the other man in the room had said, "I'm his uncle, Isamu. Just call me that."

"Thank you Isamu," Haruhi grinned, "Now Mori…" She said with a serious look on her face. She scrunched up her eyebrows and thought for a few seconds.

"I think I remember you. You… were this tall person, who was kind to me. But you were always silent, correct?" Haruhi said slowly, gazing upwards with hope clear in her eyes.

"Yes." Mori smiled, "I was kind to you - always. And I am very silent at school."

"School… School… School! Oh yes! I go to Ou….ran…, Ouran Academy! That's it!" She smiled, proud of herself.

A few hours later, Haruhi will still lying in her bed, being tended to by Mori. Ranka sat in his chair, taking a nap and Isamu stood in the corner of the room. Mori was trying to get Haruhi to remember the Host Club members but she couldn't. She just simply couldn't. The only other person Haruhi could faintly remember was Honey-sempai.

The door burst open, and a blonde-haired boy followed. His hair was a mess, his were eyes red and tears streamed down his face. After him, followed a dark-haired boy with glasses, two guys with amber coloured hair and a little boy, carrying a pink bunny.

"Haruhi! My precious daughter! Are you okay?" What happ- Mmmph!" The blonde was cut off by the darker haired man. He simply sighed and looked at Haruhi, with these sad eyes. The little boy bounded towards toHaruhi.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! Are you alright?" cried the little boy, jumping into Haruhi's bed. He crawled to her and smothered her in hugs. His soft golden hair tickled Haruhi's nose. There was a faint scent of strawberries coming from this little boy's hair. Haruhi looked down into the big eyes that gazed up.

Haruhi looked down to the little boy and thought hard. Really hard. Could she remember this little boy? She was sure that his name was mentioned when she and Mori were talking. The little boy gazed up at her, his eyes twinkling. Memories rushed through her mind of her, Mori and this little boy talking and eating cake.

"Honey…sempai?" She asked, her eyebrow raised. "Are you Honey-sempai?"

"Haru-chan! You, you remember me! I'm…. so glad!" Honey-sempai cried, burying his face into Haruhi's chest. The little one in front of her was shaking. His arms wrapped around Haruhi and pulled her tighter against him. He sure was strong for his size.

"There, there now. It's alright." She soothed, patting his back. "Who's this?" She spotted the pink bunny.

"It's Usa-chan, Haruhi! Do you remember her?"

Haruhi smiled. "Now I do."

Honey-sempai was ripped off of Haruhi and thrown to Mori, who caught him with open arms. Honey crawled up and plonked himself down on Mori's shoulders. The blonde man from before threw himself into Haruhi's arms. He started crying and nuzzled his head into her neck. He was shaking, and the only way that Haruhi could stop him was by wrapping her arms around him.

"There now." Haruhi said gently, whilst patting this boy's back. "You okay?"

The boy looked into Haruhi's eyes. He looked so sad; fresh tears were pooling at his eyes. He released Haruhi and clasped her hands, holding them firmly.

"Haruhi… my precious daughter…" he sobbed, "What happened? We were so worried! And- and Kyoya only told us a few hours ago." The blonde haired man continued to cry; his tears fell onto Haruhi's hands.

"I'm not your daughter. I don't know you." Haruhi bluntly stated, "Who's Kyoya? And… who are you?"

"MOMMY~~! Our daughter doesn't remember us!" He shrieked. He bolted up and ran to the man with glasses, who Haruhi assumed to be 'Kyoya'. "Make her remember us!"

The boy pushed up his glasses and the light reflected off them, hiding his eyes. He placed a hand on the blonde's shoulders, trying to settle him.

"Tamaki. She sustained injuries to her brain. I can't restore her memories. It doesn't work like that." the taller sighed. "It just doesn't work…"

'Kyoya' or who Haruhi assumed 'Kyoya' to be, led a shaking 'Tamaki' out of the room. In the corner of the room, the two twins leant against the wall. Haruhi shifted slightly, so she could see those two better.

"Haruhi…" one twin with his hair parted to the left, sniffed. "Do you… do you remember us?

Haruhi looked at them. Her eyes gave them a stern look over from head to toe. The twins stiffened, holding each others hand for support. Haruhi scrunched her eyebrows, and tapped her chin thoughtfully, yet slowly.

"No. I don't. But, I know I should." she answered, after moments of consideration. "Who… are you two?"

"I'm Kaoru…" the twin with his hair parted to the right, answered. He snaked his arm around his twin and held it there. He held his twin's hand, and pet it gently.

"That's Hikaru. He's just a little upset at the moment, so don't worry Haruhi."

Hikaru freed himself from his brother and strode over to Haruhi's bed and quickly sat down, making the plush mattress bounce. Haruhi backed away slightly. She was nervous. He had this weird aura surrounding him. He inched forwards and clasped Haruhi's hands. Haruhi widened her eyes in fright and glanced at Mori.

"That's enough." A monotone voice announced. Mori put his large hand between the two, acting as a barrier. He gave Hikaru a slight warning push. The twin swivelled his head and locked eyes with Mori. Amber eyes locked gazes with gray eyes. Hikaru shot up and the bed bounced roughly.

"You… You did this…Look at what you did!" He snarled, pointing to Haruhi, "Because of what you did, Haruhi ended up in hospital! She doesn't remember us! She doesn't remember me!" He yelled, stepping closer to Mori. He raised his fist and threw a punch, but Mori easily caught it.

"I liked her Mori! She doesn't remember me… Do you know how I feel?" he hissed, his fists clenching. He threw another punch but again Mori simply caught it.

"Because of you! This is your fault Mori! All of this is your fault!" Hikaru screamed and yet again, Hikaru threw another punch but this time it hit Mori square in the lip. His split lip bled again, blood trickling down his chin. Mori cast his eyes downwards. What Hikaru said was true, right? It was Mori's fault…

Mori braced himself for another of Hikaru's hits but it never came. Instead, Mori looked up and anger raged within him. Haruhi stood in front of the giant, her back towards him. She was clutching her face. Hikaru stood there, his mouth wide open so slowly, he shut his mouth and folded his arms. Haruhi straightened her back, lifted her head and glared at Hikaru. Her cheek was red and swollen and her lip was busted. Some blood trickled down her chin but Haruhi just swiped it off with the back of her hand.

"Hikaru." she said, surprisingly calm as she glared at Hikaru. _If looks could kill, _thought Mori.

"What?" he retorted, rolling his eyes. "You deserve this. You made me feel this way."

Haruhi shook her head. "Hikaru. How do I deserve this? I got struck by a car. I've lost memories."

"And…? Your po-"

"Hikaru!" Haruhi interrupted, "Cherish the memories we had together. I've lost my memories that I've had of you. And I'm glad I have. Because you… yo-"

"How dare you say that!" he yelled, raising his hand but his brother stopped him. Kaoru glared at him, seething with fury. He grabbed Hikaru's cuff.

"Hikaru. Leave. Never come back." Haruhi spat.

"No. I won't!" he yelled.

"Leave. _Now.__**"**_

But he didn't. He shook himself free from his brother's grasp and grabbed Haruhi by her arms. He was squeezing her really hard and he knew bruises would be left. But during this, Haruhi's face was emotionless. But Hikaru's wasn't. He was angry. Mori stepped around Haruhi, and punched Hikaru square in the face. Hikaru stumbled backwards into the wall. Honey jumped down from Mori's shoulders and landed in front of Hikaru. The small boy lifted his leg and with all the force he could muster, kicked Hikaru in a place that should never be kicked. The injured man doubled over in pain, wheezing and slid down the wall.

"Hikaru." Honey growled, "Do not come here again. Do not speak to Haruhi again. If you do, you will face Mori and me. And you will be seriously injured. Do I make myself clear?"

Hikaru glared up at the older boy. Honey grabbed Hikaru by the collar and dragged him to the door. He kicked the twin out and slammed the door afterwards.

"Haru-Chan!" Honey sobbed, "Are you alright?" He ran up to Haruhi and hugged her tightly, trying to be careful around her arms. He cried into her chest and sniffled before looking up to Haruhi. _He will never do this again. Not to Haru-Chan, _he thought.

Haruhi smiled, but winced at the pain of her lip and at the pain of her throbbing head. She ruffled Honey's hair and smiled down at him.

"Thank you, Honey-sempai." she breathed, "It was scary. But I'm glad that he's gone now."

"No problem, Haru-chan." Honey beamed, "Call me Mitsukini, it sounds better."

"Okay Hon- Mitsukini."

"Oh, and Haru-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Call Takashi, Takashi. 'Kay?"

"Okay."

Haruhi noticed Kaoru standing at the door. His arms were behind his back and he seemed very interested in the scuffed wooden floor.

"Kaoru?" she asked gently. She placed her hand on his shoulder. His head snapped up and his eyes bulged. He swallowed hard.

"Haruhi… I'm sorry. Please. For-"

"Kaoru." Haruhi interrupted, "I do not blame you at all. It was Hikaru's fault."

"But… I let him! I could have stopped it…"

"Yes, you could of." Kaoru flinched at this. "But, it was in the heat of the moment. Even though this happened, it was not your fault. You are still my friend, Kaoru. Remember that."

Kaoru clasped Haruhi's small hands and squeezed slightly. His downcast eyes brimmed with tears.

"Even though I've lost my memories of you Kaoru, it doesn't mean that we can't make new ones." Haruhi smiled. She squeezed Kaoru's hands. He looked up and smiled, a few tears threatening to spill.

She pulled him into a hug, and gently pet his back. He placed his head into her neck, and sighed while Haruhi rocked slightly. They stood like this together for awhile until someone coughed. And that someone was a slightly embarrassed Mori.

"Oh sorry." Kaoru stammered, letting go of Haruhi. "I better be going then. I need to speak to Hikaru."

"That's alright, Kaoru." the female smiled. She stepped back and put her hands behind her back. She was quickly lifted by Mori in a bridal style fashion and was gently set into her bed. She blushed slightly.

"Mori. I mean Takashi! I have two legs, y'know. I'm perfectly capable of walking to my own bed." she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I know, Haruhi." was Takashi's reply.

"Hmmph…" she huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

Kaoru and Honey smiled, observing the two. Kaoru and Honey both gave each other knowing looks, and laughed. Haruhi and Takashi stared at the two, with innocent eyes.

Kaoru quickly left and everything was peaceful. Mitsukini, Takashi and Haruhi were happily chatting away, Isamu was nodding off in the corner and Ranka was napping in his chair. It had been a stressful day for Takashi and especially for Haruhi. Haruhi closed her eyes and snuggled down into her bed. She felt someone cover her with the sheet. Then, she felt a pair of warm lips brush her forehead. _Probably Mitsukini…_, she thought.

Mitsukini, Takashi and Isamu left the room, and walked down the corridors of the quiet hospital. All was silent, except for the squeaking of the men's shoes on the polished floors. The small blonde was skipping happily down the hall, in front of Takashi and Isamu.

"You like her Takashi." Isamu grinned, nudging his nephew in the ribs.

"Uncle, no! I-I don't." Takashi stumbled.

"Aw, come on! It's obvious that you have feelings for her."

"Uncle. I don't. Haruhi is a dear friend."

"Are you sure?" Isamu asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes Uncle. I'm sure." Takashi replied, rolling his eyes.

"Really, really, _reallllllly _sure?"

Takashi sighed. Just how long would this go on? "Yes, Uncle."

"I don't believe you."

Mori sighed.

* * *

**Yes, hello there! Thank you for reading this chapter! I tried making it a little longer. Did it work? Hah. Anyways, if any of you have little ideas for chapters or little events for this piece, don't be afraid to PM me. (I'm not entirely sure how they work, and if they don't, just leave it in the reviews.) I'll make sure to read them all, and to mention your name if I do use them. Thank you if you do. I do have an idea to how this story goes, but I would love to see what you want.**

**Again, thank you for reading this chapter. Also, I think this chapter is long enough considering that I have written it in size 10 font. So, hopefully it'll be enough.**

**Okay then, that's all. I have to leave you with this and I apologize for rambling on. Oh, I almost forgot! To all of you people, who like Hikaru. I'm deeply sorry. I felt the need to include a character who was angry at Haruhi to spice this piece up. And it just so happened that Hikaru popped into my mind first. I thought he would be best, considering that he had feelings for Haruhi. **

**Okay. I'm sure that's it now. I apologize for rambling on. Goodbye now, and keep being awesome.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- "Thank you so much."**

**Hello there. Welcome to the sixth chapter! Thank you for all the follows and reviews. It really means a lot because I never thought that my piece would get far. But thank you. As I said in the last chapter, I will mention your names if I was planning on using something you said in the reviews. **

**Opinr: Thank you for that review! That idea about Tamaki is a very smart one. I never thought about but I may use little snippets of it in later chapters. Also, I had planned that Mori and Honey would explain Haruhi's situation by using flashbacks as I have done before in previous chapters. And thank you for your review!**

**Mtnikolle: Yes, sorry about that. I thought about it, but considering that I'm very lazy, I decided that Haruhi's injuries weren't that severe as everyone thought it to be. But for future chapters, if any of the characters end up in hospital and depending on their injuries, I'll use those hospital machines. Haha, after ages of searching them up. Anyway, thank you for your review!**

**Yes, I have a few things to explain. If you were wondering why Haruhi was awake so quickly after the accident, it's because I was too lazy to write something in the previous chapters. Basically, the car was not going that fast but to Mori and Haruhi, it was speeding. And also, Haruhi is quite light and small so the force of the car knocked her flying into the air and Mori thought her injuries would be more severe than he thought, as he witnessed it. But the only injuries she sustained were her to her head, (a light skull fracture? I'm not too sure if you can get a skull fracture and not be on IV's and drips…) I know my writing isn't very realistic, but hopefully that will change soon. And if there are any injuries set in future chapters, I'll make sure to research them and make them realistic as possible. Thank you, for sitting here reading me ramble on. Now please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

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~x~

"_Haruhi, there are a few things that Takashi and I must tell you." Honey confessed, twiddling his thumbs._

"_And what would it be?" Haruhi asked, folding her arms and raising her eyebrow. She leant back against the headboard of the bed._

"_Haruhi. Do you remember what school you go to?" Mori asked. He scratched the back of his head, before locking eyes with the girl. _

"_Yes, it's Ouran Academy. How is this relevant?" _

"_Well…" the giant mumbled._

"_Spit it out, Takashi."_

"_Haruhi… what Takashi is trying to say is… Well…"_

"_Mitsukini. Just tell me."_

"_Okay… Uh. You're actually a boy." the small boy blurted, hiding his face, "Well, at Ouran…"_

"_Wait. What? I'm a boy?! Since… since when?"_

"_Well, since the start of your first year. When you started, you accidentally broke an extremely valuable vase. With your background, you didn't have enough money to pay it back…" answered Takashi. _

"_Okay… Does Kyoya have anything to do about this?"_

"_Eh, Haru-Chan, how did you know?"_

"_I didn't. It just felt like it. Kyoya… Well, I have this strange feeling about him. From the looks of it, is he second in command?"_

"_Ah." Takashi said, with a nod of his head._

"_And Tamaki, is he the boss or in other words, the 'King'? He seems very over-dramatic."_

_Mitsukini widened his eyes. "Did you remember that?"_

"_No. It just seemed like it was. And the twins, I'm guessing that they're a brotherly love act?"_

_Mitsukini nodded. "You're observant, Haru-chan."_

"_Oh please. Why else would Kyoya get twins for the Host Club?"_

_Takashi chuckled. "Good point."_

"_Continuing on, is there anything else that you two have to tell me?"_

"_Ah. Well Kyoya decided to put you on a debt when you broke the vase. He said that you would participate in the Host Club as a boy and work off your debt by bringing in customers." _

"_Okay… " Big pause. "Does anyone know that I'm a girl?"_

"_No. Except for the other host members, Takashi and I. This boy in your year, Ritsu Kasanoda and our brothers also know. My brother is Yasuchika and Takashi's is Satoshi."_

"_Kasanoda…" Haruhi paused, "Does… he have red hair? And a… scary looking face…? And I never knew you two had brothers."_

_Takashi nodded. "Despite his looks, he is a very nice person."_

"_Well Haru-Chan, you may have forgotten about them. You have met them before. Oh, and Haruhi?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Did you know that Hikaru and Kaoru are in your class?"_

_Haruhi blanked. "No, but thanks for telling me. It will be okay. Kaoru will be there and after what you two did to Hikaru, I don't think he'll be talking to me anytime soon."_

"_Haruhi, be careful. You don't know what Hikaru's like." Takashi warned._

"_Mm-hmm." Mitsukini nodded, "And… well he likes you, Haru-chan."_

"_Wait. What? Hikaru likes me? After what he did? He has some guts…"_

"_Haru-chan, if Hikaru ever harms you or approaches you, don't be afraid to call us. Takashi and I will be over there as soon as we can."_

"_Okay, I'll keep that in mind." _

"_Oh, and Haruhi?"_

"_Yes, Takashi?"_

"_Be mindful around Tamaki. He has feelings for you but he doesn't know it himself. Be careful around him."_

"_Okay…" Haruhi muttered, rolling her eyes._

~x~

The sunlight glared through the little window, the shadows of the rustling blinds dancing on the floorboards. The slight breeze made the blinds dance, making the shadows twist and turn even more.

Haruhi sat awake, holding her legs and placing her head onto her knees. _I'm a boy_… she thought. _Who knew? _She mentally laughed. She swung her legs off the edge of the bed and prodded her sleeping dad in the face.

"Dad…? Dad…?" Haruhi asked, gently tapping her father's red cheeks.

"Hm…?" He sleepily opened one eye.

"It's time to go. I'm ready now."

Ranka shot off the chair, bouncing around the room beaming his big merry grin. He threw open the door, grabbed Haruhi and bounced out of the room. The walk in the hall was silent, except for the squeaking of their shoes.

The reception desk lady was nice and greeted them with a smile. She quickly filled out the forms to let Haruhi go. Ranka and Haruhi bounded out of the big Hospital doors and breathed in the fresh air that greeted their faces.

Ranka called a taxi and soon they were on their way home. The ride home was silent between the two, but the driver didn't think so. He was warbling along to a catchy little tune playing on the radio, humming and whistling to the parts he didn't know - which was most of it. Many twists and turns later, they arrived at the apartment block car park. Ranka generously paid the man, grabbed Haruhi's hand and dragged her up the steps to the second floor.

The sky was slowly darkening as Ranka opened their apartment door. Light thunder droned in the background, and Haruhi stiffened slightly. She brushed it off. She wouldn't let bad weather dampen her sprits. Ranka opened the little door and soon collapsed on the couch, sinking into the plush cushions. Haruhi grabbed a massive blanket, which lay folded on the coffee table. She neatly tucked it around her father, and ruffled his hair before leaving to her own room.

She gently closed the door behind her, and sauntered around her room inspecting it. Something caught her eye - it was a gigantic white teddy bear almost as big as herself, which sat in the corner of the room near the wardrobe. She sat down in front of it, folding her slender legs and starting poking it. Her finger became buried in the scruffy fur and she laughed, and then began to play with it by moving the arms up and down. A small pink card fell out, and landed in front of her feet. She picked it up, opened it and smiled.

It read:

* * *

_Haruhi! We hope you like this gift! All of us bought this for you! Well, Honey and Mori actually went out and bought it from the commoner store… but, we hope you love it!_

_Love from, _

_Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, Mori and Kyoya._

_P.S - Kyoya wanted nothing to do with this, but we wrote his name down anyway!_

* * *

_Boom! _Heavy thunder drummed, and a jolt of lightning illuminated the increasingly dark sky as well as briefly illuminating Haruhi's room. Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Cold sweat began to form on her forehead and upper lip and her hands shook. Drum rolls of thunder, came one after the other and Haruhi steadily became shakier,

She grabbed the teddy, and wrapped its arms around her small frame. She tried to bury her face into its fur, but it still wasn't working. She rocked back and forth, afraid to open her eyes. She hummed to herself, but it didn't work either.

Her phone rang a loud cheerful tune in the otherwise silent room. She hurriedly rushed over, grabbed it and dived for her bed. Wrapping herself in the quilt, she buried down and answered her phone.

"H-h-hello…?"

_Silence. _

"_Haruhi." _Pause._ "Are you alright?"_

"No. I'm not, T-takashi, there's a thunderstorm… I must have forgotten I was afraid of them… How silly of m- EEP!" Thunder boomed, and sharp bolts of lightening flashed across the inky sky.

"_Haruhi. Please, calm down. Take deep breaths. It's alright. I'm here."_

She rested the phone in her lap and took deep breathes. _Boom! _She squealed and started panicking again. She shakily picked up the phone.

"It-it's not working… I can still hear it."

"_Haruhi, I'm going to tell you do something. It may or may not help."_

"Okay." She said with a nod of her head.

"_Use your other hand to block your other ear."_

Haruhi did as told. "Mm-hm."

"_Now, just listen to me, okay?"_

"Mm-hmm."

The thunderstorm passed after about less than an hour. Haruhi had spent all that time listening to Takashi ramble on about his classmates, family, school and kendo. But Haruhi didn't mind - besides she was at peace when talking to him.

"Takashi…?"

Pause._ "Hm?"_

"Thank you." she beamed, "Thank you so much."

"_N-no problem, Haruhi."_

"I think it's time for me to go now. But again, thank you. I don't know how I would have coped without talking to you - well, listening actually."

_Silence._

"Taka-?"

"_Uh, n-no problem Haruhi! I-I have to leave. See you!" _Click.

Haruhi peeked out from under her haven, and sighed. The thunderstorm passed, and she was glad.

_That was sweet of Takashi. I'll have to properly thank him next time I see him_, she thought. She heaved herself up, and sat at the edge of her bed with her feet plonked on the carpet.

Her phone chimed again, and she happily picked it up expecting it to be Mitsukini, as he was her dearest friend. She pressed answer, without looking at the caller ID and beamed down into the phone.

"Mitsukini?"

Silence_. "No Haruhi. It's… It's me."_

Her eyes widened, and she grew pale. "H-Hikaru…?"

* * *

A/N: **Why hello there! I'm terribly sorry that I had to leave you with that. I couldn't think of any other way to finish it. **

**Also, I'm terribly sorry for not updating in awhile. I had writer's block for this chapter and I couldn't think of anything to write for awhile. **

**But please bear with me. Maybe in the future I'll pick a day for uploading new chapters. Maybe… But for now, there won't be a schedule. Again, I'm sorry.**

**How are you liking this piece? I hope you are enjoying it!**

**Oh, and I'm terribly sorry for rambling on in the beginning of this chapter. I wasn't clear on Haruhi's situation. That won't happen again.**

**Please don't judge me on the title of this. I simply couldn't think of anything.**

**Thank you for reading this. It means a lot to me.**

**Goodbye now, and stay awesome.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- "We'll see."**

A/N: **Hey there! Welcome to the seventh chapter! Before we start, I would like to thank all of you for reading this.**

**Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I never thought that I would get more than 1000 views on this. **

**I can't stop grinning as I write this, and it's all thanks to you guys.**

**Now, I hope you enjoy this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

* * *

"H-Hikaru?"

"_Yeah, it's me. I need to speak to you."_

"I don't want to hear what you have to say. If you were proper, you would speak to my face and not on the phone."

"_But I really need to speak to you." _Hikaru said, a bit of urgency clear in his voice.

"Too bad. You could have spoken to me earlier today." Haruhi sighed, she frowned before stating, "But you didn't. So, speak to my face and I'll consider it."

"_But-"_

"No buts." she interrupted, her voice calm yet serious.

"_Fine. If that's the way you want to act." _

"Stop being such a baby, Hikaru."

"'_Stop being such a baby.' I'm not acting like one!" _Haruhi face palmed and mentally sighed.

"Seriously stop this nonsense. You're acting like a total baby and you're not handling this well. Can't you please grow up and act your age? If not, please hang up. I don't want you to call or text me. Come speak to me when you've grown up, and then but _ONLY _then may I forgive you. Goodbye."

Haruhi heard the noise of Hikaru's mouth opening and closing slowly. _Silence. Click. Beep-beep-beep._

Haruhi slowly lowered her phone from her ear. She dropped it on her lap and sighed. She didn't want this. She didn't like fighting. But if he really wanted to speak to her, wouldn't he try and talk to her face instead of using the phone?

Frowning, she snuggled under her duvet and soon found herself dozing off. Tiredness washed over her like a warm wave, coaxing her into the sea of dreams. The day's activities were finally taking its toll on the girl. She snuggled down further, and dreamt of happy memories.

* * *

The tall male lay on his bed, his eyes never wandering from the ceiling. One hand supported the back of his head while his phone sat in the other. A number was written on the screen. He closed his hand around the phone, locking it. He had tried ringing her again after the thunderstorm, but her phone was busy.

Suddenly his phone chimed, bursting him out of his thought bubble. He smiled to himself, knowing the familiar ringtone that boomed around his room. Answering it, he brushed some of his hair out of his gray eyes.

"_Takashi~~!"_

"Hello there, Mitsukini."

"_Helloo~! Do you mind if I ask you something?"_

"Ah. What is it?"

"_Were you phoning Haru-chan during the thunderstorm…?"_

"M-Maybe…" he fumbled, a faint pink tinting his cheeks, "H-how did you know?"

"_I tried ringing her when the thunderstorm hit because I knew she was afraid but I didn't know if she remembered that she was afraid of them."_

"…"

"_But, ANYWAYS! That was very sweet of you!"_

"…"

"_If you don't mind me asking this but… do you like Haru-chan? Because if you do, I fully support it!" _

"N-no. I-I don't like Haruhi."

"_You sure…?"_

"…"

"_I mean, are you REALLLLLLLLY sure?"_

"Mitsukini, you're as bad as my Uncle."

"_Oh, Uncle Isamu! Make sure to tell him I said hello next time you see him. Don't be getting off topic now. Do you?"_

"…"

"_Takashi! If you deny it, I'm just assuming that it's true~~!"_

"I don't know…" Takashi whispered.

"_What was that_?" the blonde giggled. He'd heard perfectly clear, but he felt the need to slightly embarrass his cousin. Mitsukini wasn't a mean person but his cousin was always emotionless. He believed it was a good way to get his feelings across.

"I said I don't know."

"_Wait, wait, what?! You don't know? But, but that means that there IS a possibility…"_

"Mi-"

"_Why don't you know? How do you feel about her?"_

"I don't know… I have a strong urge to protect her no matter what and I think that's because I failed to protect her before."

"_Takashi, you know that wasn't your fault." _he said quietly. He even blamed himself for what happened to Haruhi but knowing the girl, she wouldn't allow him to feel guilt for something he didn't do.

"And deep down, I have this strange feeling. I've never felt it before."

"_How does that make you feel?"_

"…It makes me feel warm inside. Quite fuzzy."

"_Hey, Takashi?"_

"Ah?"

"_You and Haru-Chan are very close to me. I only want to see you two happy."_

"Thanks…"

"_But if you ever harm Haru-chan like Hikaru did, I will seriously harm you. Haru-chan is a dear friend."_

"Mitsukini, I would and could never do that to Haruhi. Haruhi is very dear to me, and I could never harm her. I mean it."

"_Ah ha. I see… I have to leave now. I gotta go eat some cake with Usa-Chan! I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye-bye~!"_

_Click. _

Takashi sighed, pulling his hands down his face. Did he really like Haruhi? Or was he just saying that? He heaved himself up and sat at the edge of his bed, his elbows leaning on his knees. He didn't even know if he had true feelings for Haruhi. He told himself to protect her because he had failed to, but was that the only reason?

He knew he had this special feeling for the girl, but he couldn't describe the way he felt. He had a few girlfriends during his teens but Takashi had never felt this way towards any of the girls. He was confused. Confused about his feelings and confused if Haruhi ever felt the way he felt towards her.

The door burst open, and Takashi jumped out of his skin. He wasn't expecting that. In through the door, bounced an energetic younger version of himself - which was his brother Satoshi.

"Takashi!" Satoshi smiled, while strolling around his brother's room. Even though Takashi and Satoshi looked alike, they were nothing alike in personality. Satoshi was the bubblier, energetic, out-going one while Takashi was the more silent, observant type.

Raising his eyebrow, he turned his head to his brother. He gave his brother a quizzical look, but Satoshi ignored it. He was too busy inspecting his older brother's kendo awards that lay neatly arranged on a shelf, in the corner of the room.

"Hey, Takashi? Do you want to spar with me?"

"Ah, sure. I haven't practised today."

"Prepare to get beaten!"

"In your dreams." the giant smiled, ruffling his brother's hair. Satoshi huffed in protest as the two left the room.

* * *

Tamaki sat beside his closed window, gazing down at the humongous garden below. Rain drops pattered against the glass, and slowly streamed down the frame. He shifted his hair out of his violet eyes, and sighed a long, long sigh.

Three knocks were heard before Tamaki's elegant bedroom door swivelled opened, revealing his father accompanied by an elderly butler carrying a silver tray with tea.

"Father!" the blonde smiled, but them resumed gazing wistfully out the window. His father inwardly sighed. Why couldn't Tamaki be more like himself? He wasn't _that _melodramatic. Sometimes, he would over exaggerate but he wasn't as bad as his son. Maybe he got that from his mother?

"Son…" Yuzuru's thoughts trailed off, as he stared at his son then at the window and back at his son.

"Yes?" Tamaki asked, never taking his eyes away from the garden.

"Why is there a maid outside your window, watering it?"

"Eh… Funny you should ask that. Masako is… Well, she's my mood maid. At the moment, I feel quite sad, so I just thought…" Tamaki sheepishly replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Yuzuru sighed. He thanked the elderly butler and took the tray. The butler bowed and left the room, shutting the door gently on his way out.

Yuzuru strolled towards the coffee table and gently placed the tray down. "Tea?" he asked, while pouring his own cup.

"Mm."

"Do you want milk and sugar?"

"A little bit of milk and two sugars."

Yuzuru poured his son's tea, and handed it to him.

"Thanks."

"You're quite welcome."

"Dad, you can stop with the formalities. Grandmother isn't here, you know."

"Yes, well…"

"Well just talk normally. It's only us two." Tamaki swivelled round in his seat, and motioned the raven-haired maid to leave her post, and come inside. Her gray eyes widened, but then she smiled warmly and bowed gracefully. She hurriedly flew down the ladder, grabbed it and ran indoors.

"So, how's the Host Club doing?"

Tamaki didn't reply. He stared at the bottom of his drained cup, swivelling the last few dregs. He poured himself another cup while his father leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he stared at his son. Tamaki stiffened and quickly glanced up, but fell under his father's scrutinising gaze. Yuzuru knew something had happened to Haruhi, the only female host, but he didn't know what. He was anxious to bring it up, but he believed that now was a good time.

"Is it about Haruhi?" Yuzuru asked while slowly slipping his cup. His eyes never left his son's face.

Tamaki nodded, still not looking his father in his eyes.

"What happened to her?"

"She got struck by a car." he said quietly, "She's lost some memories."

"Oh my…Poor Haruhi…" Yuzuru said at last. "Does she remember you?"

"No, she doesn't…"

"Tamaki, I'm so sorry to hear that." Yuzuru quietly said, patting his son's shoulder. He knew that Tamaki had feelings for the girl, but his son didn't even realise it. His son and Haruhi were like that in away. Oblivious to their own feelings.

"It's okay… Haruhi and I. Well, Haruhi and the Host Club. We'll all make new happy memories." Tamaki smiled sadly, tears swimming in his violet eyes.

His father simply patted the boy's shoulder as that was the only way he could think of comforting him. A few moments passed, and Tamaki was his regular self. It always pained to see his child upset, and he was glad he was back to his normal self. When his son was younger, there was this girl who could always cheer him up. It wasn't his mother, but she went to Ouran. Yuzuru thought hard for a few seconds. _Her name was… Natsumi. Yes, that's it._

"Do you still have feelings for Haruhi?" Yuzuru asked, leaning back into his chair. His scrutinising gaze wandered over his son's face as he waited for an answer.

Tamaki choked on his tea, and did a spit-take. "Father, no way! I don't like Haruhi." Tamaki blurted while his face reddened, "How could I? Haruhi is a very dear friend!"

"Are you sure? Because it seems you like her." Yuzuru grinned, while running a cloth over his dripping face. Yuzuru was surprised. His son had good aim.

"No, no, no, no! I'm Haruhi's daddy! That is just wrong!" Tamaki cried, flailing his arms around. Yuzuru sighed. When was his son ever going to learn?

* * *

Kyoya sat hunched over his desk, typing away on his black laptop. He took out his small, little black notebook and scribbled something down into its clean, organized pages. The light from his lamp, cast a dull glow which shone eerily around his massive room.

He swivelled around in his chair, pinching his nose between his thumb and finger where his glasses dug in. He sighed, and lifted up his arms stretching them. With every movement, a part of his back popped and cracked. It sure sounded painful, but it actually helped him release the tension of sitting hunched over a laptop for two hours straight.

He tiredly lifted himself from his chair, and sauntered towards an armchair that lay in front of the massive TV. With the push of a button, the TV switched on. Aimlessly flicking through the channels, he stopped when he reached the news. He hadn't watched the news in awhile, and he wasn't sure what was going on through Japan.

The famous wide desk appeared on screen and so did a pretty looking woman, accompanied by a handsome looking man. The lady's black hair was tied up in a high bun, a few straggles of wavy hair falling beside her face. Her high cheek bones jutted out, and her blood red lipstick stood out in contrast with her pale complexion. From what Kyoya could see, the lady was wearing a black business jacket with a starched white blouse. It was quite scary looking, if you looked at it in a certain light. The man on the other hand, looked perfectly normal with his neatly cropped blonde hair, his smiling green eyes and rosy coloured cheeks. Perfectly normal looking, excluding the fact that he was wearing a bottle green turtle neck. News presenters were getting more expressive in their outfits these days.

The two presenters were talking about news regarding a person who got struck by a car, and recently left hospital. Kyoya ears perked up. Could this be about Haruhi? Kyoya raised the volume of the TV.

"So today, we recently just heard the news of this person called Haruhi Fujioka." the lady said, her deep brown eyes quickly glancing down and then quickly to her right, signalling her partner.

"It was discovered that Haruhi, was struck by a car and suffered injuries to his head. His brain was particularly affected." the man stated, his green eyes never leaving the camera.

"We are glad to hear that his injuries weren't that severe as everyone thought to be. The part of his brain that was affected, controls the memories. So sadly, some of his memories have been lost." the lady drawled, her sharp voice cutting through the silence of Kyoya's room.

"Miraculously, he only suffered a light head fracture and was able to leave the hospital hours earlier today. But on the other hand…"

"The man who drove the car was Takao Kikuchi, a 48 year old man. He died when striking an electrical pole that he crashed into. It is said that it slightly electrocuted him." the man finished.

"It is also said, that Kikuchi had a slight heart problem. It was also said that he was drunk when driving.

We do not know why he was drunk so early in morning though." the lady stated, tucking a few pieces of hair behind her small ears.

Kyoya zoned out and wasn't paying much attention to what the presenters were saying. Many different thoughts raced around his mind. One thought was about Haruhi and how she was doing. Was she well? How was she coping? He would find out tomorrow, though… Other thoughts were about his other friends. A few were about Tamaki. Kyoya believed that he was struggling the hardest. His best friend had feelings for the girl, and now she doesn't remember him. It must have been tough on Tamaki, considering that he formed a 'Daddy/Daughter' relationship with her. But he formed that when he first met her, so how was he coping with it now? Kyoya didn't even know how he was coping with this situation. Haruhi is a close friend to him, considering everything the Host Club, himself and Haruhi have been through. She was one of the few people who have seen the softer, caring and gentler side of the Shadow King. As much as this hurt the Shadow King to see his friend not remember who he was, he had to accept it. Haruhi was still a close friend. He and the Host Club could all make new memories, patching up the memories that she lost. As long as it may take, he would be patient.

Kyoya switched off the TV and crawled towards his bed. He snuggled down under the covers, and lay awake thinking of Haruhi, his friends and ways to profit himself in business.

* * *

"-early in the morning though."

"That is all we have for today regarding Mr. Haruhi Fujioka. We will see you later at 12. Until then…"

"Goodbye."

The TV switched off, as Hikaru held the remote to the screen. Hikaru slumped back into his seat, rubbing his eyes. It had gotten quite late, without him realising it. He had been too busy and to engrossed in sketching some designs by himself.

He lifted himself up from the chair, and dragged his feet along the carpeted floor until he reached his shared room. Opening his door, he was met with a pillow as it hit him right in the face. Struggling to breathe, he ripped the pillow from his face and flung it back into his room, not caring where it landed.

Kaoru sat on his bed, his eyes stalking his brother like a lion stalking its prey. Hikaru ignored his brother; sat down near his desk and simply stared at it. A hand landed on his shoulder, and Hikaru jumped but still didn't turn around.

"Hikaru, you're going to have to talk to me sometime." Kaoru said gently, no emotion hinting at his voice. To be honest, Kaoru was mad at Hikaru for how he reacted at the Hospital. He was mad that he punched Mori and very mad that he lashed out on Haruhi.

Hikaru said nothing. He held his clasped hands on his lap and twiddled his thumbs, trying to ignore his younger brother. He knew his brother was trying to help, but Hikaru didn't feel like talking.

Kaoru sat down again on the bed. "I'm mad at you for how you reacted at the Hospital. And I'm mad at you for hurting Mori and Haruhi." Kaoru's voice was quiet, but it slashed through the silence.

Hikaru swivelled round in his chair, his eyes bulging. "You're mad at me?" Hikaru retorted, "For what Haruhi did?"

Kaoru stared at his brother calmly, and chills ran down Hikaru's spine. "How can you be mad at me? How can you be fine with Haruhi not remembering you?" Hikaru yelled, his fists clenching.

Kaoru stared at his brother, his mouth shut into a firm line. Fighting with his brother really hurt Kaoru, but that's just what happened when the two didn't see eye-to-eye. Hikaru was always like this - he would lash out when he felt that he was trapped in a corner. Lashing out was the way he protected himself.

"Hikaru, please calm down." Kaoru pleaded, "Do you really think I honestly want to talk to you about this?" Kaoru lifted his head, and stared at his brother. It was clear that Kaoru was hurting as well. "I know how much you're hurting. Trust me, I know you are. But I can't stand to see you like this. You're my older brother, and I care about you. I know you care about me too, and I know you don't mean the things you said. As I said before, I'm mad at you. You haven't apologized to Haruhi. Or Mori-sempai for that matter. And you hurt them- you hurt Mori with your words and Haruhi with your actions."

"You don't know what I'm feeling, Kaoru! You didn't like Haruhi! You didn't like her the way I did!" Hikaru hissed, standing up from his chair. He walked over and stood above his brother, leering down at him.

"I know you don't mean this, Hikaru. What happened to you?"

"Haruhi forgot about me! She forgot about us… It makes me feel so, so…"

"Please calm down. We can get through this. If you talk to Haruhi, then maybe-"

"No, I… I don't think I can," Hikaru interrupted. Pain flashed across his face for a brief second. Then it was replaced with the anger he held for the girl. Or was it anger? Hikaru didn't even know himself. He felt torn. Torn because he felt like he should be crying and torn because he felt that he should be angry with Haruhi. She had forgotten him, and that made him angry. But he knew it wasn't her fault. She was in an accident, for goodness sake!

Hikaru sat beside his brother, and hung his head in his hands. Kaoru knew that Hikaru wasn't angry. He was sad. Hikaru wasn't always the best at dealing with his emotions, when it came to situations like this.

"You can. As long as it may take, you will be able to do it. I'll be here for you." Kaoru said quietly.

"But… I just feel so lost."

"She was a big part of our life. I know that. She was able to tell the difference between us, even if we didn't want anyone to do. She's special, Hikaru. And you had no reason to treat her like that."

"I know that! But…" Hikaru responded angrily, but his voice died down.

"But what?"

"Will she ever forgive me?"

"We'll see."

* * *

A/N: **Oh my gosh. That was quite long, wasn't it? I hope you didn't mind.**

**Ah yes, sorry. I didn't really write much about Mitsukini and his feelings towards the situation because I may write something about it in a future chapter.**

**So, how did you like it? That girl, Natsumi, she will become a new (important) character in future chapters. But, you'll just have to wait. **

**Okay, that's it I guess. But before I leave you, I would like to thank you. Thank you for all the views, favourites, follows and reviews because they really mean a lot to me and I can't thank you enough. I mean it. **

**One more thing, sorry for the long update. I couldn't think of what to write for everyone's thoughts on Haruhi's situations. But, I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.**

**Goodbye.**

**Stay awesome.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- "No reason, Mitsukini. No reason."**

A/N: **Why hello there! And welcome to the eight chapter!**

**Before we begin…**

**A REALLY BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE! I mean it! Guys… I'm sorry if this annoys you but… I'm going thank you at each and every author's note. I'm sorry, but please bear with it. I can't express my gratitude enough to all of you.**

**Thank you and I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club**

* * *

A few weeks had gone by since the accident, and everything had been going well. Strong early morning sunlight streamed through the window and landed directly onto the face of a sleeping girl. In her slumber, her eyebrows knitted together and she frowned slightly. She rolled over, trying to escape the beams of sunlight attacking her face.

Ranka burst open the door, but Haruhi ignored it. She was trying to sleep after all. The doting father skipped over to his daughter and shook her gently. "Haruhi?" Ranka asked gently, his long hair tickling the side of her face.

She sleepily opened one eye. A grunt was her only response as she snuggled further down into the quilt. Ranka pouted slightly, shaking her a little more firmly. Haruhi turned around, and frowned up at her father. Shielding her eyes from the sun light and also from the shiny glow emitting from her father, she grumbled. "What is it?"

Ranka stood tall and proud, puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips. As a father, he felt the need to take on the role of waking his daughter up for school every morning. Especially since the accident, Ranka has become more responsible, more doting and more protective of his only daughter.

"You have school so you have to get up now, sweetie." he smiled gently, offering a hand for Haruhi to take. Haruhi swiped it away as she heaved herself up from the comfy, small haven. Ranka pouted, over dramatic tears starting to form in his eyes. Haruhi sighed and ushered her father out through the door. Yawning, she said, "I'm up now, dad. I'll get changed now, okay?"

She shut the door and hurried to her wardrobe, quickly getting change in a matter of minutes. She grabbed her bag and scanned through it, making sure that she had everything for the day's classes. She threw on her blazer and opened her door, which she was greeted with a spine-breaking crush of a hug. Ranka smiled into the nook of his daughter's neck, and twirled her around for a few seconds.

Haruhi smiled up at her father, and then pushed him off. Ranka twirled around his daughter, receiving chuckles from the tired girl. Ranka skipped back down the hall into his room, his long hair dancing with each step. Haruhi shook her head, but was smiling all the same.

She checked her watch. She had plenty of time to make breakfast, clean herself up and walk to school. She strolled to the kitchen, placed her bag on the kitchen table and started making breakfast, which was going to be rice porridge. After that was done, she gulped hers down and writ her dad a note. It read:

* * *

_Dad,_

_Breakfast (which is rice porridge) is left in the fridge for you. There are leftovers from last night's dinner, so have that for lunch._

_Do your best at work, and I'll see you later tonight._

_Bye, and have fun._

* * *

Satisfied with what she had written she dumped her bowl in the sink as she would clean it later tonight, and headed towards the little bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and combed her hair. She ran her fingers through her hair, ruffling the slightly straight locks of brown hair. Her eyes stared at her own reflection and the ghost of her mother appeared on the mirror. Haruhi shook her head, and left the room.

Grabbing her bag off the table, she slung it over her shoulders and opened the apartment door. Haruhi locked the rusty door and pocketed the key, patting the small lump. She bounded down the stairs, smiling to herself because of the good weather. The warm sun shone down steadily, tinting her pale cheeks a healthy colour. The slight breeze rustled her hair and her tie, causing them to flutter. Small birds sang their songs as they glided from tree to tree.

Haruhi began walking in the direction of her school, taking in the scenery as she walked past. She was too busy staring up at the sky, she didn't notice a black BMW 2010 slowly slide to a stop beside her. The loud horn beeped, bursting her thought bubbles. She swivelled her head round and visibly relaxed when she saw who was driving the car.

Isamu rolled down the window, and waved at the girl. He turned round in his seat, facing the back, and talked to whoever was there. _Possibly Takashi, _Haruhi thought, _seeing that Isamu is his uncle. _

Exiting the car, he walked to the other side. He placed a hand on the rear door and smiled, "Miss Fujioka! Care for a ride with Takashi and I?"

Nodding her head, Haruhi replied, "If you wouldn't mind, Isamu. Is it alright if I get a ride?"

"Of course, of course!" Isamu insisted, tucking a few pieces of black hair behind his ears. He opened the rear door and ushered Haruhi inside before gently closing the door. He clambered into the front, started the car and drove along the used road.

Grabbing his bag from the seat, Takashi placed it at his feet. Looking at the girl, he said, "Morning, Haruhi."

"Morning, Takashi!" Haruhi chirped, placing her bag on her lap. "And thank you for giving me a ride, Isamu."

"No problem, Miss Fujioka. If it wasn't for Takashi, I would have driven on by. He spotted you from a mile away." Isamu said, giving Haruhi a little wink at the last part. Haruhi didn't see it as she was looking out the window, but Takashi did, and he glared at his uncle but Isamu only gave him a quick wink too. A faint blush tinted his cheeks, as he glared daggers at his uncle. Shaking his head, he sighed as he stared out the window.

Hearing the sigh, Haruhi rotated her head round to her friend. "Everything alright, Takashi? You look very red." Haruhi stated, causing Takashi to redden slightly more.

"I'm fine." he said with a slight nod of his head. His steely eyes drifted towards the closed window, and then to the little switch to open and close it. Pressing the button down, he sighed, "I'm a bit warm. That's all."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes as she stared at her friend, his face becoming redder under her gaze. With a slight nod of her head, she approved it and continued to stare out the window. She knew something was wrong, but she didn't want him to pressure her into telling him so she just left it.

Takashi scratched the back of his neck out of embarrassment, as he glanced up at the rear view mirror. His uncle was smirking, as he mouthed, "Close one, Takashi." He gave a devilish grin and in that instant, reminded the tall host of the mischievous twins.

The rest of the car ride passed in comfortable silence as the trio made their way to the grand gates of Ouran. Exiting the car first, Takashi strolled to the other side and opened Haruhi's door. Haruhi stumbled out and almost fell, but Takashi placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her. She thanked him, and started making her way to her morning classes. With a turn of her head, she waved and smiled, bidding him a good day.

Takashi's gaze lingered on the retreating sight of the female Host. Bidding his nephew a good day, Isamu chugged his car along the road, smirking to himself as he watched his nephew walk through the massive gates.

Haruhi and Takashi went their separate ways - Haruhi to the East Wing where most of the first year classes were held and Takashi to the West Wing. Haruhi strolled between the newly planted trees that were lined up across from one another, thinking of her day. How would Hikaru cope when he saw her? Would he try and be sensible, or would he huff away like a child? Haruhi thought for a second. It would be the latter, seeing that it was Hikaru that she was dealing with. She groped the banister as she walked up some stairs that led to her class. She rounded a corner, her heavy bag digging into her back with each step, and entered her classroom.

Two things happened when Haruhi entered the room. The first thing which happened was that a swarm of her female classmates attacked her with bear hugs and high, shrill shrieks. The second thing was that Kaoru, seeing Haruhi in distress, dived into the sea of uniforms and attempted to save the female Host but was attacked by the girls as well. Their clothes would have been torn off if it wasn't for Kazukiyo Soga and Momoka Kurakano, the President and Vice-President of Class 1-A. Momoka blew a whistle that hung around her neck, a sharp sound piercing through the high shrills of the girls.

Prying a few girls from the top of the pile, Momoka calmly said, "Girls, please get of Haruhi Fujioka and Kaoru Hitaachin. I don't think they appreciate all of you sitting on them."

"No, we don't…" was Kaoru's muffled reply which Haruhi simply grunted, to back up his statement.

"If you don't get off them soon, I am pretty sure that they will suffocate. Also, Haruhi recently suffered a head injury. This may worsen it." Kazukiyo conceded, pushing up his glasses with a slight poke of his long slender fingers.

The girls squealed, not wanting their hosts to suffocate because of them, so all at once they clambered off, apologizing to the two hosts as they left. The two panted heavily, glad that the girls were off and glad that they could breathe again. Kaoru got up first and offered a hand to Haruhi, which she gladly took.

Haruhi dropped her bag at her feet when she took her seat beside Kaoru. Usually Haruhi sat in the middle of the two but since Hikaru wasn't talking to her, Haruhi sat near the window with Kaoru in the middle and Hikaru on the other side. Glancing to her right, she saw Hikaru look at her but then he quickly turned around and chatted to a classmate. Shaking her head, she leaned on her hand and gazed out the window.

"Hey, Haruhi?" Kaoru asked, nudging his friend.

"What?" she hummed, not really paying attention.

"Are you upset about Hikaru?"

Haruhi stiffened, her hand sliding down her face. She faced Kaoru and nodded, quietly saying, "Yeah, I am. I don't like the fighting between us two. It hurts, I guess…"

Kaoru glanced at his brother, checking to see if had heard anything. But by the way he was sitting, it didn't seem like he did so he carried on the conversation.

"Don't worry, Haruhi." he sighed, "Hikaru will see the error in his ways. It might take awhile but bear with him."

Haruhi nodded.

Her school day had finally ended, the last bell chiming loudly, its loud shriek echoing around the school. She had got lost a few times but with Kaoru's guidance, she had found her classes. The school day had gone quickly and even though she had forgotten what she was supposed to be doing in most of her subjects, she had caught on quite quickly and didn't really have any problems with it. Her last subject of the day was English. When the bell chimed, he sat back in her seat and stretched back. She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulders and headed out the door.

"Haruhi~~! Wait for me~~!" Kaoru cried, running after the female. She stopped and waited for him, continuing to walk when he had caught up with her. She glanced behind him, looking for Hikaru.

"Where's Hikaru?"

"He went on."

"Oh." Haruhi said, a slight frown forming on her lips. Kaoru sighed and grabbed his friend's hand. Haruhi glanced up and look puzzled.

"Host Club, remember?"

"OH!" Haruhi smacked her forehead.

"Do you remember where it is?" Kaoru asked, briskly walking down the halls.

Haruhi's eyebrows knitted together as she tried to remember where the Host Club was located. She paused and after a while, replied with. "Third Music Room, right?" She glanced up at Kaoru, waiting for his answer.

"Yes! You remembered!" Kaoru smiled. He stopped abruptly causing Haruhi to crash into him.

"Why did you stop?" Haruhi mumbled, rubbing her throbbing nose.

"We're here, silly." He pushed open the large doors. He found Haruhi's hand and grabbed it, stepping inside with her following. He stepped to the side, letting Haruhi see the room. She gasped, and her hand fell from Kaoru's.

The room was simply beautiful. There were red, plush looking sofa's lined up against the left wall with chairs dotted in front of them. Tables were set up between them and a pure white table cloth was draped over the dark wood. On top of all the tables, were expensive vases with colourful flowers placed within. That itself, took up nearly half the room and the room was pretty spacious. In the far right hand corner, was a built in room, which Haruhi expected it to be a little kitchen or storage room of some sorts. Just down from that room, were even more chairs and tables, perfectly lined up.

She gazed around the room, and muttered, "Damn rich…" Kaoru stepped beside her and placed a hand on her slender shoulder. He looked down at his friend, who was still looking around the room.

"Nice, isn't it?"

"Nice?!" Haruhi squawked, "It's more than that! It's beautiful! It must be pretty expensive too."

"This is what it looks like normally."

"What do you mean normally?"

Hikaru laughed. "You'll find out what I mean soon enough."

"Whatever you say." Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"But do you know what's weird though?"

Haruhi hummed in response. She was too busy walking around the room, inspecting everything and letting her hand glide over the furniture.

"You haven't been greeted by rose petals yet."

Haruhi spun around. "What? Rose petals?"

"Tono does this thing were… Well ignore that because you'll find out soon enough."

Haruhi huffed, as she plonked herself down onto one of the many sofas that lined the left wall. She patted the seat beside her, and Kaoru sat down.

"Where is everyone?"

"Well the Host Club usually starts in half an hour, and it takes quite a while getting from the Second and Third year classes to here."

"I see." She crossed her legs at this point. "What's that room over there for?"

"It's a kitchen, dressing room and storage room. It's probably where Hikaru is hiding right now."

The two sat in silence for a moment, not sure what to say. The massive doors of the Music Room burst open and Tamaki skipped in, singing a little French tune. Kyoya slowly followed, scribbling away into a little black notebook. Takashi ambled in, with Mitsukini and Usa sitting on his broad shoulders.

Haruhi smiled, a little small smile that grew on her face. By the time Mitsukini and Takashi walked over, she had a big grin on her face. Mitsukini placed himself on the girl's lap, and prodded her cheek. "Why are you smiling like that, Haru-chan?"

"No reason, Mitsukini. No reason."

* * *

A/N: **Why hello there, and welcome to…..**

**THE END OF THE EIGHTH CHAPTER! WOO!**

**So, there are a few things that I would like to discuss. Firstly, I can't think of any good titles for chapters. Do you guys want me to have chapter titles, or just leave it like 'Chapter 8', 'Chapter 9'?**

**Secondly… I'm sorry for this rushed chapter. I apologize for grammatical errors and stuff. But, I'm leaving for Spain in a few days and I'll be gone for a couple weeks. I didn't want to leave without posting something.**

**So… I won't be updating this for two weeks. Please don't kill me… But, I promise that when I come back, I'll write better chapters!**

**So, thank you for reading this. Thank you so very much!**

**That's all I have to say, so goodbye and stay awesome.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - "Promise me you won't worry…"**

A/N: **Hello there everyone! I'm back and prepared to type.**

**So over the course that I was gone, I ended up reading the earlier chapters. There were things that I realised that were wrong.**

**One thing was that I had written that Tamaki's eyes were blue. They will be violet in this piece, and Takashi's will be gray.**

**I don't know if you noticed this but in an earlier chapter, I said Haruhi was 16. So, she's 16 and the twins are still 15. You'll see why soon enough.**

**One more thing. For chapter titles, I've decided to use little bits of dialogue. Woo! **

**I'm glad we've got that sorted.**

**Now, I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

* * *

Chatter danced within the walls of the Third Music Room. Four out of the seven Hosts sat at one of the three sofas that squatted on the left wall- the four being Haruhi, Takashi, Mitsukini and Kaoru. Tamaki and Kyoya sat near them, on another sofa, chatting away and sipping tea.

"Haru-Chan?"

She hummed in response. Her gaze wandered to first Mitsukini, who had spoken then over to Takashi, who was busy listening to Kaoru, yammering away.

"Before the accident, why did you make us memorise your dad's number?"

"Yeah Haruhi, why?" Kaoru piped in. The boys' heads swivelled towards Haruhi. Haruhi draped her arms around Mitsukini's shoulders, as he was sitting on her lap. She buried her face into his golden locks.

"Because he's my only family member." was her muffled reply.

The three boys were confused. Ranka was her only family member? Surely she had a distant aunt or uncle, or grandparent? What would happen if something happened to her dad? How would she cope, if that be the case?

Haruhi lifted her head and continued, "My mother was an only child. Her parents - my grand parents, died when I was a baby. I think they died in a car crash… And when my father told his family that he was bi-sexual, well they… they kicked him out and cut all ties with him. Dad… well, he had to be independent from around 17. He had to quit school and start working. So, it's only me and my dad."

Kaoru and Takashi were speechless. What sort of parents cut all ties with their child just because of their sexuality? Mitsukini turned round and hugged Haruhi, nuzzling his head into Haruhi's neck. He leant up and whispered something, but Kaoru and Takashi didn't quite hear.

Takashi placed a large, tan hand on Haruhi's shoulder once Mitsukini was finished with his hug. With a quiet voice he said, "Haruhi, I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, confusion clear on her face. "There's no reason for you to apologize, Takashi." Haruhi replied slowly.

At that moment Tamaki bounded over, his violet eyes smiling and a big grin etched on his face. He ran his eyes over the Hosts and stopped when he came to Haruhi. With a shove and a mumble of "Sorry Honey-sempai.", he pushed Mitsukini off Haruhi's lap, yanked Haruhi up by her arm and twirled her around.

"Tamaki-sempai!" Haruhi sighed, growing increasingly tired and annoyed of his antics. "Please put me down. I'm not in the mood for my body to be broken or bruised." She started gently slapping his arms and when that didn't work, she knew it was time to call in the big guns.

She turned her head to Takashi, but he was already out of his seat and over in a few strides. With many protests from Tamaki, Takashi plucked Haruhi from his grasp and held her high so Tamaki couldn't get hold of her. Once Tamaki, with many huffs and foot stomping, had left, he lowered his arms and Haruhi jumped from his arms.

"Thank you." Haruhi breathed and to which Takashi's reply was a small smile and a gentle ruffling of her hair.

Kyoya had sauntered over while Tamaki was beginning to grow mushrooms in his Gloom Corner. He placed a hand on the girl's shoulders and she swivelled round, clearly bemused. He tilted forward slightly and whispered, his breath tickling Haruhi's ear. She cast her brown eyes down and nodded. Haruhi stepped around Kyoya and walked towards the room in the far corner.

Mitsukini tilted his head. "What was that, Kyo-Chan?"

Kyoya sighed and stood beside Takashi, who was sitting on the leftmost side of the seat. With a push of his glasses he stated, "I sent her to make coffee."

"Why didn't you do it yourself?" Kaoru folded his arms, tilting his head slightly to the left.

Kyoya scoffed. "I wouldn't touch that coffee. And besides-" He pushed up his glasses, the light reflecting off them so it hid his dark eyes, "-she needs some peace."

Mitsukini opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Kyoya. "I also sent her away so she wouldn't have to talk about her family. I'm not sure but I think Haruhi feels insecure talking about it because she tends to over-think. You know her, she'll start to over-think about her dad if we talk about her family for to long. If anything happens to Ranka-"

"-she'll be left alone." Takashi finished quietly. His steely gaze wandered to the room that Haruhi was in. Mitsukini followed his cousin's line of sight. His eyes widened in realisation as he glanced around the room.

"Kao-Chan? Where's that baka brother of yours?"

"He's been gone since the Club ended, sempai." Kaoru paused. "Probably hiding in the bathroom down the hall." Kaoru glanced down and checked his watch that was strapped loosely around his wrist. "We'll be going soon."

"Kao-Chan! You have to wait until Haru-Chan brings us the coffee!" Mitsukini beamed up at the Host. He jostled Usa on his knee before clasping her to his chest. Takashi looked around the room, and got up. He was quite worried. Haruhi had been gone for more than five minutes and it didn't take that long to make coffee. He left without a word and made his way to the little kitchen.

He opened the door and stepped in, the other four Hosts voices still being heard. There was one thing that the Hosts knew and the customers didn't. The room that stuck out in the corner was only the dressing room and storage room. The kitchen was built in the wall, behind it all. He opened another door, and stepped into the kitchen.

Haruhi was crouched down in front of the sink, holding her hand to her chest. Broken cups were peppered around her and the dark brown coffee pooled at her feet. Takashi gasped, carefully stepping closer to the girl and mindfully stepping around the broken cups. Haruhi was still crouched down, still clasping her hand to her chest. Takashi placed a large hand on her shoulder.

"Promise me you won't worry…"

Takashi was taken back. How could he not worry? She was crouching, surrounded by coffee and broken cups! Scenarios raced through the giant's mind of Haruhi's hand being burnt by the coffee, cut by the tea pot and cups or worse, being burnt and cut. He glanced down to her other hand. There were a few cuts on it, but he would deal with that later.

He took away his hand, and carefully took hold of her elbow. Being the stubborn person Haruhi is, she wouldn't let Takashi see what damage she had done so easily. But after a moment, she reluctantly let him see.

His eyes widened, and with a worried tone he said, "Haruhi, is your hand alright?"

He knew that was a stupid question, but he felt that he should ask it. Her small hand was not alright. The first thing was that she had burnt it on the coffee, and he second was that she had sliced her palm. Blood trickled from the cut and Haruhi shook her head, shaking her hair from her down cast eyes.

Takashi stood up and gently helped her to her feet. He grabbed a tea towel from the counter and carefully bandaged her injured hand. "We'll go to the Nurse." He tucked some hair behind her ear and led her out of the kitchen, out of the storage room and into the Music Room.

Mitsukini skipped over and upon seeing Haruhi's bandaged hand, his smile slipped from his face. "Takashi, what happened?"

"Burnt and cut her hand." Once again, Takashi gently grabbed the girl's elbow and led her to the massive doors. When they were walking over, he heard Haruhi urging Mitsukini to go sit down, and not to worry. He sighed and shook his head. That girl never wanted anyone to worry about her.

Around ten minutes later or so, Haruhi was sitting on a hard chair in the Nurse's Office. The Nurse, with her white-like blonde hair and her deep blue eyes, swabbed the cut on Haruhi's palm with disinfectant. Haruhi had winced, but relaxed when she felt Takashi's strong hand on her shoulder. The Nurse applied ointment to the burns and carefully bandage Haruhi's hand, and with a smile she sang, "There you go! All done."

The duo bowed, said their thanks and headed down to the Music Room. From the corner of Takashi's eye, he could see Haruhi turning her head slightly and opening and closing her mouth. Takashi smiled, clearly bemused.

"Why did you come in to find me?" Haruhi questioned, facing her sempai.

Without a pause Takashi replied, "Worried."

"Oh." Haruhi quickly faced away and stared at her shoes, her cheeks tinting a pale pink. But Takashi still saw it.

Takashi stopped in his tracks. He blushed furiously, and scratched the back of his neck. Haruhi was a few metres away by then. She rotated her head and beckoned him forward. Takashi numbly nodded and jogged towards the smaller girl.

The duo made the rest of their way back to the Music Room in silence and every so often, their shoes would squeak. They rounded the corner and they noticed that the Music Room doors were opened a crack. Laughter emptied into the hall, and the two both heard cries of "Take that, Hikaru!" and "Hikaru got beat up by a girl!"

There were a pair of massive round spectacles, with clouded over lens sitting at the foot of the door. Haruhi bent down and picked them up with her bandaged hand, between her finger and thumb. Takashi peered over her shoulder, his gaze moving from the glasses to Haruhi. _Didn't Haruhi give up glasses?_, Takashi thought, _Whose are they anyways? _The female Host shrugged, answering the giant's question before he spoke it. She pushed the door open and was greeted with a sight she never expected to see.

Hikaru was sprawled on the ground, veins popping on his forehead and steam flowing from his ears. His face darkened when he noticed Haruhi enter. Now what was on Hikaru, was a sight to be hold. A girl about Haruhi's height, was leaning heavily onto Hikaru's neck with her left knee. Her right knee was digging into chest and she had Hikaru's arm in a type of arm lock. The more he struggled, the more heavily the girl leant on his chest and neck. The more he struggled, her grip would only tighten on his arm.

"Natsumi, as much as I enjoy this, I think Hikaru's embarrassed enough." Kyoya smirked, giving his glasses a quick push up his nose.

Natsumi rose slowly and glared at Hikaru while she did so. She turned to Haruhi and stared at the glasses in her hand. Only then did Haruhi and Takashi get a good look at her. From the looks of it, Natsumi had long, light brown hair which she tied in a high ponytail with a green strip of cloth. Her bangs covered one eye, and she had the darkest colour of green for eyes anyone had saw. The reddish glint in her hair complemented her dark green eyes and slightly pale complexion. She reached for her glasses and Haruhi placed them into her hand, completely awestruck at her beauty. Natsumi popped them on, and her eyes were hidden behind her glasses. Her bangs that covered one eye were pushed back.

"Sorry, they must have fallen of when I did the body drop." Natsumi apologized, her voice quiet and soft.

"Haruhi, meet Natsumi Nakayama." Kyoya explained. "A close friend of Tamaki. And a close friend of mine."

"My precious daughter, she was the first friend I ever made when I came over from France." Tamaki smiled, running up to Haruhi and placing one arm around her and one around Natsumi.

"And how I wish I wasn't." Natsumi joked, muttering under her breath.

Tears formed in Tamaki's violet eyes. He put a hand up to his forehead and struck a dramatic pose. He sniffed, "Oh how your words hurt me, dear Natsumi!"

Natsumi rolled her eyes and shook off Tamaki's arm. She faced Haruhi and bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fujioka-san. Tamaki has talked about you non-stop."

Haruhi laughed. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Nakayama-san."

"Haru-Chan, if you were wondering… Natsumi's family is well known for being the second best at Martial Arts in Japan." Mitsukini chimed, hugging Usa-Chan.

"Natsumi is also in our class!" Tamaki chirped, draping his arms around Natsumi. Natsumi sighed and swatted his hands. "She's also the same age as me, if you were wondering."

"She also knows of your, uh, situation, Haruhi." the Shadow King smirked.

"He's so cruel, isn't he?" Natsumi tsked.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it." she laughed, and then asked. "Nakayama-san, do you wish to go over and sit at a sofa?"

Natsumi smiled and nodded, and the two girls left for a sofa at the other corner of the room. Once they had sat down, the two girls began chatting animatedly and before you know it they were calling each other by their first names.

At this point, Hikaru had crawled over to a wall. He was leaning against it, with his arms around his legs. Kaoru walked over and nudged him with his foot. Hikaru glared up, still angry from being handled that way by a girl. "What?" He snarled.

"Time to go, baka." Kaoru barked. "Lemme tell you something." Kaoru stared down at his brother, hands on hips.

Hikaru shot up and stalked towards the door. He rested a hand on the handle, and swivelled his head. "What?" He hissed.

"You shouldn't be going round placing your arms around strangers, you baka."

"We did it to Haruhi." Hikaru huffed.

Kaoru gave him a blank look. "That was different. Nakayama-senpai is a friend of Kyoya's, doofus."

Hikaru gave him a dirty look. But Kaoru still continued. "And that was priceless! She did some form of martial arts on you!" he teased.

Hikaru gripped the handle and yanked it open, making the door slam into the wall. He shot down the corridor and Kaoru yelled after him, "Now you know never judge a book by its cover, Hikaru!"

"'Never judge a book by its cover.'" the enraged twin mocked. "Hmmph. I'll show you guys. All of you."

* * *

A/N: **Hey there guys! **

**I hope you enjoyed that chapter. It wasn't a great one, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. **

**I'm sorry for grammatical errors and stuff. I'm going to a wedding tomorrow and then I'll be busy the day after, so I wouldn't be able to update. I'm kind of editing this quite late (-ish.) So, please bear with it.**

**I promise there will be better and more well written chapters in the future.**

**Until then, **

**Goodbye.**

**And please, stay awesome.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- "Why do you have so many?"**

A/N: **Hello there! And welcome to the tenth chapter!**

**You know what? I'd never thought I'd get to the tenth chapter so before we start, THANK YOU ALL!**

**And please don't judge me on the chapter title, okay? Thank you.**

**I used a supermarket name in this, 'Isetan', but I used 'Isiton' instead. Is that allowed? I'm not sure at all…**

**I hope you enjoy this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

* * *

A few days had gone by since the unusual first meeting with most of the Hosts new-found friend Natsumi. It was Saturday morning, around 11 am, and Haruhi was sitting at her desk, studying Japanese History.

A soundly sleeping Ranka lay in his bed, tired from working till the early hours of the morning. His door was firmly shut, and the sounds of his loud snoring reverberated around his room, and leaked into the hall.

Haruhi dropped her pen on the desk and leant back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head. She stood up, the chair scraping the floor as it slid back and headed to her open window to breathe in some fresh air.

The air was cold and she shivered slightly as she stood next to the window, leaning her forearms against the chipped pane as the chilly air nipping at her bare hands. She sighed and pulled the window down, closing it. Haruhi always hated the last few weeks of February. As it was still winter and near the start of spring, the weather was unpredictable.

Haruhi pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket and began scrolling through her messages. The past days were exceptionally quiet on her phone, and she was sure Kyoya had forced Tamaki not to text her as much. In Haruhi's opinion it was cruel, but it had to be done.

Her phone rang and a name flashed across her screen. She pressed answer and held it to her ear.

"_Morning, Haruhi!"_

"Morning, Natsumi." Haruhi said quietly, walking back to her desk.

"_Are you doing anything today?"_

Haruhi shook her head, even if Natsumi couldn't see. "Nothing really. I just finished studying and now I have to go shopping."

"_Shopping? What kind?"_

"Food. Nothing exciting."

"_Would it be alright if I tagged along? You know, I've never been inside a supermarket before."_

"You sound a lot Tamaki…"

"_I do?" _Natsumi mocked shock, and then laughed, _"But can I? Pretttttty please?"_

"Of course! But it's nothing exciting, just so you know."

"_I don't mind," _Natsumi chimed, _"besides, it'll be fun! So where shall I meet you?"_

"You can come round to my apartment, if you wish. We can have some coffee and cake first."

"_I'll be around soon. I live fairly close, so see you soon, Haruhi."_

"Okay then. See you." Haruhi smiled. The phone beeped and Natsumi hung up.

Ranka leaned against the door frame, his arms folded and his light robe tight against him. Haruhi had her back turned and didn't notice him. Bag lays under his soft ice-blue eyes. His long red hair was half tied up, and the other half fell down at his face.

"Who was that, sweetie?"

Haruhi jumped and turned around. "You scared me Dad! I thought you were still sleeping."

"I was until I was rudely interrupted from my beauty sleep." Ranka glared before laughing, his eyes and face lightening up.

"It sounds that you were having fun. Who was it?" Ranka asked, shifting his weight to his other foot. His gaze darted from Haruhi to her desk, and he knew that she had been studying.

"A friend from school. She's coming over after we go shopping. Her name's Natsumi-"

Ranka exaggerated shock as he put a hand to his head and his eyes were wide open. He cut off whatever Haruhi was saying. "You're telling me, that my little Haruhi is bringing a friend around. And that friend is a girl?" Ranka gasped, and placed a hand on his left cheek.

"I've brought friends over before, Dad…"

"The Hosts don't count!"

"I mean, I've brought Mei over. Do you remember Mei? Mei Yasamura?"

Ranka nodded. "What are you going to wear, sweetie?"

Haruhi gave her dad a blank look. "Nothing fancy. It's cold, so I thought I'd wear this." Haruhi gestured to her black zip-up jacket, her purple t-shirt, her jeans and her boots.

"Are you sure, sweetie?" Ranka asked, walking towards Haruhi and fixing her jacket. He brushed off some imaginary specs of dust from her shoulders and zipped her jacket up slightly.

Haruhi nodded. "It's cold, and I don't have to wear anything fancy. She's not a customer. Tamaki-sempai and Kyoya-sempai are close friends with her."

"This Natsumi girl, is close friends with that blonde baka?" Ranka narrowed his eyes.

Haruhi nodded again. "But there nothing alike, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Ranka's face lit up. "Well, I think it'll be fine, seeing as she's a friend of Kyoya as well. When is she coming over?"

"Soon." Haruhi walked to her door and stepped around her father. "You can go back to sleep. You can meet her after we're done, okay?"

Ranka pouted, and hugged Haruhi tightly before twirling her. His hold loosened and he let go. With a quick kiss on his daughter's cheek, he sauntered down the hall and into his own room, shutting the door after him.

Haruhi ambled into the living room and headed to her mother's shrine. A picture of Kotoko lay in front of it all, with two candles beside her. Haruhi squatted down and held her arms. The earliest thing that Haruhi could remember about her mom, was Kotoko telling her that people change and memories don't.

Haruhi stared at her mother's picture. Was her mother wrong? After all, the accident affected Haruhi's brain and she'd lost memories.

Haruhi fixed herself, so she was on her knees. She bowed her head, and began to pray to her mother. After Haruhi had finished, she got up and started tidying the living room and kitchen. After Haruhi had finished cleaning, she heard the front door knock and she made her way over to it, opening the rusty door ever so slowly.

There stood Natsumi, with her long, light brown hair tied up in a ponytail with the famous strip of green cloth she always wore. The reddish glint in her hair was dull, as there was no sun to make it shine. Natsumi's big, clouded-over spectacles took up half her face and her bangs were slightly pushed back because of the glasses. Natsumi wore a black shirt with a blue zip up jacket, green trousers and dark brown boots. A big grin split on Natsumi's face when she saw Haruhi.

"Haruhi!" Natsumi chimed, practically throwing herself into the other girl's arms for a hug.

Haruhi laughed and took steps back, still with her friend's arms dangling around her neck, and lead her into the living room. Natsumi took a seat and folded her hands on her lap.

"Welcome to the Fujioka residence."

"It's very nice. I like it. It's cosy!"

Haruhi smiled, looking down at her friend. For a split second, the cloudiness in Natsumi's glasses were gone and there was a sparkle in her eyes, much like Mitsukini's when he's about to eat cake. "Care for something to drink and some cake?"

Natsumi nodded her head, a big grin plastered on her face. "Can I have coffee, please?"

Haruhi hummed, and made her way over to the kitchen to make coffee. As she was pouring water into the kettle, Natsumi asked, "What type of cake do you have, Haruhi?"

"Let's see… There's strawberry, lemon, chocolate, carrot and cheesecake."

Natsumi was astonished. "Why do you have so many?" she questioned with her eyes wide… although you couldn't really see it behind her glasses.

"One word. Mitsukini. Every time he's over, we end up eating a lot of cake. And Takashi usually accompanies him too."

"And how does this make you feel?" Natsumi asked with a dip of her head. She placed her hands together and turned towards Haruhi.

"I like it. I like spending time with them. Takashi and Mitsukini are close and dear friends of mine." Haruhi confessed, "Like a second family in a way." She put the kettle on and emptied a teaspoon of coffee into each mug. "Natsumi, do you want milk and sugar?"

"Little bit of milk and no sugar, please!" Natsumi chirped, her high ponytail bobbing up and down. Haruhi nodded. "What cake do you want?"

"Strawberry, please. It's my favourite."

"How strange. So is Mitsukini's." To which Natsumi's reply was a small smile and a loud hum.

Natsumi folded her legs and placed her hands on her knees. She glanced around the cosy little room. She noticed a shrine in the corner of the room and instinctively got up to investigate. As the girl got closer, she noticed that the picture placed in the middle of two candles looked like an older version of Haruhi but with longer hair. Natsumi kneeled down in front of the shrine and took off her glasses, placing them in her hands on her lap.

"If you don't mind me asking this, but when did you lose your mother…?" Sadness laced Natsumi's quiet and gentle voice. She spoke loud enough so Haruhi could hear.

Haruhi walked over to the table and placed the mugs down. "When I was around five, she became critically ill and died." Haruhi turned slowly; her eyes glued to the floor and headed back to get the cake.

"It must be sad losing you mother at such a young age…"

"It was." Haruhi's voice cracked slightly, but she still continued, "I was angry at her when she left, because I didn't have a mother at that age." Haruhi took a deep breath, "Sometimes, when I'm at my lowest point, I feel that I am. But with all my heart, I love my mother and even though she's not here today, her spirit is. Constantly watching, guiding and loving…"

Natsumi cast her eyes down, before praying to Kotoko. Once she finished, she popped her glasses back on and headed to the table were Haruhi was already sitting, staring at her coffee.

"I know how you feel." Natsumi took a shaky breath. "My mother along with two of my brothers died seven years ago, when I was nine."

Haruhi looked up and took hold of her friend's hand, sadness etched into her features. Haruhi was grief-stricken and in so much pain when her mother died, and it must have been completely terrible for Natsumi. "Natsumi, I'm so sorry… I never knew…"

"No-one really does. Only you, Kyoya and Tamaki."

Haruhi blinked slowly, and gently squeezed her friend's hand. Natsumi took a deep breath. "If you… wanted to know… They died in a limousine crash, on the way to visit a friend. So, it's only my dad, my younger brother and I."

The two girls sat in silence. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, it was an understanding silence. Haruhi took a sip of her coffee, and Natsumi nibbled at her slice of cake.

"Tamaki was the first to know, and the first to comfort me. He came to Japan around three years before the accident, and he was fairly close to my mother." Natsumi said quietly, tucking her bangs behind her ear.

"That must have been hard on him too."

"It was. I remember two years ago, on the anniversary of their death, I felt like I was just a burden to my family and that it would be better if I ended my life. It was Tamaki who cheered me up and get telling me, 'Natsumi, you're not a burden at all. Don't you dare think about ending your life because you're loved, wanted and special!" " Natsumi paused and let out a little breathy chuckle. "He… he burst into my room that night, wearing a clown costume."

"A clown costume?" Haruhi replayed countless scenarios of Tamaki throwing pie into Natsumi's face, squirting water and making balloon animals.

Natsumi nodded. "He had a rainbow wig on, bright red nose and even those big shoes." Natsumi chuckled some more. "He talked to me all night, trying to make me laugh and smile. And in the end, it worked…" Natsumi blushed, remembering that night as she placed her fingers on her cheek.

Haruhi nudged her friend in the ribs, a small smile on her lips. Natsumi turned bright red like a tomato and started flailing her arms about, screeching "It's not like that!"

Once Natsumi had settled down, Haruhi picked up her mug and drank from it, drinking in the sight of her friend's slightly red face. She placed her mug down as Natsumi took a forkful of cake.

"You like him, right?" Haruhi asked bluntly, placing her hands together and pointing at Natsumi with her hands in a shape of a gun

Natsumi did a spit take onto the plate below, or in other words, did a mouthful-of-cake take. The crumbs landed all over the plate and Natsumi blushed furiously.

Natsumi sighed, folding her arms. She was silent for a few seconds, and then murmured, "If I tell you, you can't tell a living soul." After hesitating for a while the girl confessed, "I…do…"

Haruhi beamed at her friend. "I'll support you in every way, sempai!" Haruhi fist-bumped the air.

"B-but… He only sees me as a friend… Besides, I think he likes you." Natsumi twiddled her thumbs and her glasses slid down her nose.

"No he doesn't." Haruhi paused, "I think he doesn't."

"But how do you know?" Natsumi wailed, pushing up her glasses. She stopped wailing for a few seconds as she downed all of her coffee and finished her cake, and then she began to wail again. "He calls you his 'precious daughter'!"

"I personally believe and hope that he calls me his daughter because of the notion that the Host Club is a big, happy family. Tamaki is the 'Daddy', Kyoya the 'Mommy', Takashi the 'eldest son and brother', the Twins 'the Twins', Mitsukini the 'youngest son and brother' and me being the 'precious daughter' because I'm the only female Host."

Natsumi hummed, as Haruhi continued, "I assure you that he doesn't like me, and I will do everything in my power that you and he end up together."

Natsumi blushed furiously, and hid her face behind her hands along with the help of her glasses. "One more thing," Haruhi began, "why do you wear those big spectacles? You could wear contacts."

Natsumi peeked out from behind her fingers. She sighed before removing her glasses and placing them on the table. Natsumi's eyes were down cast as she solely fixed her gaze on the plate in front of her.

"Because, because… I have hetereochromia!" Natsumi blurted out, once again hiding her eyes.

Haruhi tilted her head, perplexed. "When people have two different colours of eyes?"

"I'm ashamed of it… No-one else in my family has it…"

"Don't be ashamed, Natsumi." Haruhi paused. "I thought your eyes were a deep, dark green when I first met you."

Natsumi took her hands away from her face, her eyes closed. She cracked open her left eye. "This one is dark green." She cracked open her right eye, so she was staring at Haruhi. "This one here is dark gray."

Haruhi looked at her eyes. Haruhi had to admit, even with her different coloured eyes, Natsumi was beautiful and you couldn't really tell the difference unless you were up close. "I think it's very unique." Haruhi assured her friend.

Placing her glasses on, she sighed, "Tamaki and Kyoya tell me that too, but…" She folded her arms on the table and placed her head on them, burying her face. "I'm ashamed!" she groaned.

"There's no need to be ashamed. It's unique, and it kind of suits you."

"How so?"

"For starters you have this side of you - the nice, easy-going, friendly side and you also have another side- the fiery, feisty, dangerous one. I'm sure Hikaru can agree with me on the last part."

"I guess you're right…" Natsumi chuckled

Haruhi smiled and cleared away the plates and mugs. She grabbed the money sitting on the counter and pocketed it, along with the item list. As she was near the door, Haruhi rotated her head and asked "Are you ready?"

Natsumi nodded enthusiastically, and bounded towards the door, placing her hands in her pockets. They both stepped outside, the cold air and slight wind nipping at their skin. They both snuggled down into the neck of their jackets as Haruhi shut the door and locked it.

Around twenty minutes later or so, the two girls found themselves at the door of the big supermarket _'Isiton'_, and made their ways indoors. Natsumi grabbed a basket, and was bouncing on her toes. A big grin was plastered on her face, as she looked around the store with Haruhi on her heels.

Around half an hour later, the two girls came out of the store with Haruhi carrying two bags and Natsumi carrying one. They were making their way home, laughing and chatting as they walked down the streets. They rounded a corner, and BAM! Haruhi landed on her bottom and luckily nothing had falling out of the bags so nothing spilt, but the person she walked into was on their bottom as well.

Natsumi stood there with wide eyes as Haruhi picked herself up and dusted herself off. Haruhi's brown eyes followed Natsumi's line of sight, and her gaze landed directly on non-other than… Mitsukini?

"Mitsukini?!" Haruhi asked, setting one bag down and offering a hand to the fallen Host who was sitting on his butt, sniffling. He grabbed hold and Haruhi pulled him up as Natsumi took hold of the bag on the ground.

"Are you alright? What are you doing here?" Where's Takashi?" Haruhi bombarded him with questions, worry evident in her features.

"Haru-Chan, I'm fine!" the little Host beamed up, "Takashi and I were having a little walk. He's in the park near us, probably playing with people's dogs." On noticing Natsumi, Mitsukini turned to the girl and bowed slightly. "Hello there, Nakayama-san."

"Good morning, Honey-sempai!" Natsumi smiled, bowing slightly but not too much otherwise there would be groceries splattered on the ground.

"Do you mind if I call you Natsu-Chan, Nakayama-san?" Mitsukini took a bag off of Natsumi.

"I would love that, sempai." Natsumi smiled, "And thank you."

"Hey, Mitsukini? Do you want to come back to my apartment for some cake? We'll bring Takashi once we find him."

Mitsukini's eyes lit up and sparkled brightly at the sound of one of his favourites words, 'cake'. He nodded his head furiously, and skipped down the footpath saying "C'mon Haru-Chan, Natsu-Chan! Takashi is down this way!" After a couple of minutes, the trio stopped in front of a small grassy park.

Near the entrance, sitting on a grassy bank, was Takashi playing with a couple of dogs - a massive Doberman, and a little pug. Even though his face was expressionless, his gray eyes were filled with happiness. He was petting them, scratching under the chins and playing fetch with them.

"I'll go get him. You two wait here!"

Mitsukini ran up to his younger cousin and started talking. At some point Takashi turned his head in the direction of the two waiting girls and nodded as Mitsukini made his way back, while Takashi was giving the dogs a 'goodbye' stroke. Once they arrived, the four of them began walking in the direction of Haruhi's apartment.

Around fifteen minutes later, they found themselves at the door of Haruhi's home. By the time they had reached her home, their cheeks were flustered and their noses red. Haruhi unlocked the door and ushered everyone inside, shutting the door swiftly as her three guests made their way to the small living room. As Mitsukini and Natsumi were walking by the counter, they carefully set the bags down and so did Haruhi.

"Make yourselves at home. I just have to go tell my dad I'm back, and that I brought a few people over." Haruhi walked down the hall, and reached her dad's room. Loud snoring was heard, but stopped abruptly quickly followed by grunts.

"So, Natsu-Chan!" Natsumi turned and faced her sempai. "How's your father and Ryuuji-kun doing?"

Natsumi smiled. "They're both doing well. Father is as hard-working as ever and Ryuuji is too. He's been taking lessons to channel his anger. He's a lot better than he was."

"That's good to hear. Hey Natsu-Chan? Tell Ryuuji that the next time I see him, we'll spar!"

"I will, sempai. He enjoys sparring with you. He looks up to you." Natsumi turned to Takashi, "And he looks up to you to, Mori-sempai."

"Ah."

Haruhi ambled into the room, followed by her neatly presented father. On seeing Haruhi's friends, he strolled over and started having polite chit-chat with everybody. Haruhi walked over to the kitchen, and took started taking out some mugs. She put the kettle on and asked, "Everybody up for coffee?"

Takashi, Mitsukini and Natsumi all nodded, while Ranka cried, "No, sweetie! I'll do that! You go talk to your friends!" Haruhi sighed, making her way to the living room. Natsumi and Mitsukini were sitting on the only sofa and Takashi was standing near the arm. Haruhi caught his gaze and he motioned to the remaining seat. Haruhi tried getting her tall friend to sit down, but he wouldn't budge so Haruhi took his place grudgingly.

Ranka carried three mugs of coffee over and set them on the table. Natsumi and Mitsukini bounced up from their seats and sat around the coffee table. Takashi went over to sit beside his cousin, and as Ranka straightened up to get the rest of the coffee, Haruhi urged him to sit down as she'd get the mugs.

Haruhi went back and forth to carry the mugs and one that was done, she asked, "Does anyone want cake?" Two pairs of eyes sparkled, one head nodded and one shook his head. Haruhi opened a cupboard and got a perfect strawberry cake, placing it smack-dab in the middle as she sat beside Natsumi.

Ranka was closest to the door, with Mitsukini flanking his left and Natsumi his right. Takashi sat beside Mitsukini and Haruhi beside Natsumi. After the first sip of coffee, Ranka broke the silence.

He turned slightly to face Natsumi. "Hello." Ranka dipped his head, and continued, "You must be Nakayama-san. It's so very nice to meet you. I'm Ryouji, but you can call me Ranka."

Natsumi was taken back slightly at the formalities. She and Haruhi had talked about her friend's father before, and Haruhi stated that Ranka wasn't the one for proper formalities. She stuttered in reply, "H-hello Ranka. Thank you for having us over-" she gestured to herself and her two sempais, "It's nice to meet you too." She smiled up at her friend's father, noticing his slight stubble, his long red hair and his piercingly ice-blue eyes.

Haruhi displayed a really weird look on her face. "What's with the formalities, dad? It's not like you."

Ranka pouted slightly and huffed, "Eh… You're so mean to me, Haruhi!" He paused and glanced at Natsumi. "Can't I be polite in front of your new friend?"

"But you weren't as polite when you first met the Hosts, so I'm told."

"But that's different!" Ranka wailed.

Haruhi looked at her dad in horror. Sighing she said, "I'm sorry you had to see this, Natsumi."

Natsumi smiled. "Sorry? You shouldn't be! I don't mind it at all and besides, it's very funny." Natsumi chuckled. "I wish my father was like this. He's so strict and formal."

"See, Haruhi? Why can't you be like Nakayama-san?" Ranka pouted.

Mitsukini was to busy eating his cake, he didn't notice what was going on. After he finished his fourth slice, he asked Haruhi for some more. "Of course Mitsukini! Eat away." She replied with a smile.

Takashi held his cup in his hands, sipping slowly as he observed silently, not expecting to be spoken too.

"Mori!" Ranka wailed, turning to him, "What do you think? Do you think Haruhi should be more like Nakayama-san?"

Takashi immediately shook his head. "Fine the way she is." His monotone voice stated as he caught Haruhi's eyes, causing a few butterflies to flutter around in her stomach.

"Hmm…" Ranka smiled, propping his elbows on the table and placing his hands under the chin. He grabbed hold of his mug, and took a loud, slow slurp of the steaming coffee. He heaved himself up, dusting off his clothes. "Sorry but I have to leave you now! I gotta go to work early!" He walked over to Haruhi and bent down, placing a quick kiss on his daughter's head. He sniffled, and cried, "Bye sweetie! Lemme just go get changed, and then I'll be leaving." And with that, Ranka turned on his heel and headed to his room.

Haruhi chuckled nervously. "Sorry… He's like that all the time."

"No need to apologise!" Natsumi grinned, "In fact, I like your dad."

Haruhi nodded and smiled back. She was glad that Natsumi liked her dad, afterall Ranka wasn't the type of father that everyone expected her father to be. Even if Haruhi didn't show it, she loved her dad very much.

"Everyone done?" Haruhi gestured to the mugs on the table. Everyone nodded, even Mitsukini as it look liked he finished the entire cake. _Well, that's Mitsukini for you. _Haruhi thought to herself, as she picked up two mugs and carried them to the kitchen that semi-shared the living room. Takashi shot up and collected the remanding three mugs and followed Haruhi, quickly placing them in the sink after Haruhi.

"Do you want to help, Takashi?" Haruhi titled her head to the side, staring up at her sempai. He nodded.

"Well, can you please get the plates from the table and bring them here?" Haruhi smiled and to which Takashi nodded again.

After he collected all the plates, he placed them into the sink filled with warm, soapy water. Haruhi began washing the cups firsts, and once one of the mugs was squeaky clean, Takashi began drying them with a dishcloth. He placed the cup down, creating a clinking noise, and Haruhi started.

"You don't have to dry them. I'll do that. You can go sit down, if you want."

Takashi shook his head. "Want to."

Haruhi eyes widening in surprise but continued to wash the mugs and plates. Once that was done, and after Takashi had finished drying them, they both put them back where they belonged, in the cupboards. As they were still in the kitchen, they started unpacking the food that Natsumi and Haruhi had previously bought. When that was done, Haruhi turned to her sempai, and looked up at him. "Thank you. You didn't have to do this, but thank you." Haruhi smiled, a little pink tinting her cheeks.

Takashi ruffled the girl's hair affectionately. He gave a small smile of his own. "No problem."

"Haruhi~~!" someone cried, and Haruhi turned round into the arms of her loving father. "I have to go now, so be good!" Ranka sniffed, twirling his daughter around in the little kitchen. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Bye-bye sweetie!" Ranka cried, loosening his grip and heading to the door. He looked over his shoulder, and with a little wave from Haruhi, he left and promptly shut the door, leaving the four teenagers alone.

Takashi and Haruhi went to the living room, were Mitsukini and Natsumi sat on the sofa, talking about who knows what. When the two entered, Natsumi's head swivelled round, giving Haruhi a knowing, yet almost creepy looking smile. Haruhi raised her eyebrow and sat beside her friend.

"Haru-Chan! Can we watch a film?" Mitsukini asked, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Sure. You can decide watch to watch, seeing if that's alright with you two." She looked to Natsumi and Takashi who both nodded. "The DVD's are over in that corner." She gestured with her thumb, near the corner of where the tiny TV sat. Mitsukini skipped over and started browsing through the selection.

"I'll go get a chair from my room, seeing as only three can sit on the sofa." Haruhi bounced up from her seat, and headed to her room. After a minute, Haruhi came back with her desk chair and placed it on the right side of the sofa. Takashi immediately took the desk chair, seeing as he wanted his cousin and the girls to be comfortable.

"Are you sure, Takashi? I could take it." Haruhi placed herself on the rightmost side of the sofa, near Takashi.

He shook his head. "I'm fine here."

"If you say so…" Haruhi mumbled.

Mitsukini bounded over with what appeared to be _Finding Nemo_ nestled in his hands. Haruhi's eyes lightened up. After all, that movie was one of her favourites when she was younger. "I hope this is alright, Haru-Chan."

"It's fine! I'll go put it in." She took the DVD off Mitsukini and headed towards the old DVD player. She popped it in, and pressed the play button, nostalgic memories flooding her mind. She headed back to the sofa, switched off the lights and settled beside Natsumi.

As the movie began to start, Haruhi snuck a glance at Takashi who surprisingly was staring at her. She flushed a bit, but no-one seemed to notice. She fixated her gaze on the small TV screen and smiled, nostalgic memories once again swimming through her mind. But she couldn't help letting her mind wander…

It was at the part now, where the shark had made its first appearance. Upon seeing the shark, Haruhi couldn't help thinking about Hikaru.

How was he?

* * *

A/N: **Oh. My. Word.**

**That was the longest chapter, ever! I'm sorry for boring you with this. It just got stuck in my mind and I couldn't let it out, until I wrote it. All.**

**Any who, thank you for reading this! It means a lot to me.**

**Before I go, I promise that there will definitely be **_**better written**_** chapters in the near future so for now, please bear with me.**

**Goodbye.**

**And stay amazing.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 -** "Don't exaggerate, Tamaki."

A/N: **Hello there! And welcome to the eleventh chapter.**

**Before we begin, a BIG THANK YOU to you all. Seriously, thank you. **

**Haha. Well, this isn't going to be anything special but this will be an event that all the Hosts did, as in the manga and anime. Oh, and Natsumi's tagging along. **

**I'm sorry if you don't like Natsumi, but she's going to be a big character.**

**Now, before we begin, please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

* * *

Haruhi, with all her heart and soul, did not want to go through with this. For starters, Tamaki rang her at about half six in the morning the next day and caused an extremely pissed off Ranka to yell at him over the phone.

Why was she doing this? Haruhi didn't know. But Tamaki practically forced her to come, as she could picture Tamaki using his great, big puppy-dog eyes. She was going to say no but Haruhi didn't have the heart to crush his hopefullnes. Haruhi placed herself on the bed, and started massaging her temples.

It was Sunday, and it was nine. A time Haruhi would usually be asleep at. But no, Tamaki had insisted upon taking her, Natsumi and the Host Club to Kyoya's private jungle or whatever. Or was it Kyoya's private tropical beach?

Haruhi was sitting on her bed, rubbing the last few bits out sleep out of her eyes. She'd been up since half six as she couldn't fall back asleep. Haruhi checked the time on her watch, checking every few minutes to see if it was time for Tamaki to pick her up. Haruhi was surprised actually, surprised that Ranka let her go with them, but he was probably too tired to give it a second thought.

She thought some more about where Tamaki was taking her. It was Kyoya's, it definitely had to be. Who else had an artificial tropical beach just lying around in Japan? Haruhi looked back into her shattered memories, and got a glimpse of the Twins having a water fight with the blonde baka. She smiled, and tried to remember more. Somehow, she remembered choosing coconut juice that was offered to her and letting Takashi take a drink. She tried to remember more, until a loud car horn shattered her state of mind.

Haruhi groaned, getting up from her bed and throwing a small bag over her shoulder. She walked out from her room, telling her dad goodbye but he only groaned in response. She walked into the living room, looking at her mother's picture and smiling, saying goodbye as she left to the door. She opened the front door and was greeted by a pair of arms.

"My precious daughter! I'm so glad that you could come today!" Tamaki babbled, squeezing Haruhi as she tried to lock the door. When she successfully managed too, she swatted her sempai's arms off of her.

Tamaki led her down the steps, and Haruhi stared at the sight of her apartment. She may not see her home for a long, long time. Tamaki opened the rear door in a gentlemanly fashion, and ushered Haruhi in. Once she was in, she took a step near the seat and fell, landing on her face. Tamaki stepped in behind her and closed the door.

"Daughter, why are you on the floor?" Tamaki asked, tilting his head.

Haruhi lifted her head, glaring as she looked over her shoulder. "Oh, because the floor is much more comfortable than the seats." Haruhi snipped sarcastically. She pushed herself up, and climbed onto the leather seats.

Someone chuckled, and Haruhi looked away from the window. Tearing her face away from the window, she locked eyes with Kyoya who sat hunched up under his black coat, sitting directly in front of Tamaki. He had a massive scowl on his face, so Haruhi decided that it was best not to talk to him. She turned in her seat and faced Tamaki, who was twiddling his thumbs.

"How's everyone else getting there?" Haruhi's voice broke the silence, as she crossed her legs.

"Mori, Honey, Hikaru and Kaoru are getting there by themselves and we're picking up Natsumi along the way. I'm so excited!" Tamaki smiled, leaning his hand against his face. His violets eyes were smiling, and Haruhi couldn't pretend to be annoyed anymore. Haruhi nodded and fixed her gaze on the passing landscape.

The drive to Natsumi's was exceptionally quiet and Haruhi swore that she heard Kyoya grumble, "I'm going to kill him for waking me up so early…" somewhere along the way, but Haruhi shrugged it off. Once the limousine rolled to a stop, Tamaki jumped out and ran up to the front door. Haruhi's gaze wandered after him and her jaw dropped, as she took in the sight of Natsumi's household or in other words, her mansion.

It was massive! It had to be at least seven times bigger than the section of apartment that Haruhi lived in.

Haruhi snuck a glance at Kyoya, who was smirking. "If you think that's big, you should see our homes."

Haruhi rolled her eyes and relaxed back in her seat.

Moments later, Tamaki was skipping back. He stepped beside the open door, and waited for Natsumi who was a few metres behind, dragging her feet towards the limo. A bag was slung over her shoulder, and she had her other hand in her jacket pocket. Surprisingly, she didn't have her glasses on and her mismatched eyes were clear and full of annoyance, which matched her scowl. She dipped her head, making her ponytail bob and stepped inside, taking a seat near Kyoya. His and Natsumi's face were full with same annoyance and they had the same scowl. In Haruhi's honest opinion, it was scary.

She threw her bag down at her feet, nodding at Haruhi as she relaxed back in her seat. Haruhi raised her hand then tilted her head, confused because this wasn't like Natsumi. Then something dawned upon her.

"Tamaki?" Haruhi swivelled round, facing Tamaki who cocked his head to the side. He raised his eyebrow. "Does… Natsumi have blood type AB?"

Tamaki nodded, and Haruhi's eyes widened slowly. Haruhi furrowed her eyebrows as she thought. Natsumi was half Tamaki, half Kyoya. She had the light mannerisms of Tamaki and had the politeness of Kyoya when she had to deal with business, or adults. Natsumi would probably kill anyone who woke her up too, and was like Kyoya in that way. But, where was the real Natsumi? Haruhi shook her head, trying to get rid of her thoughts. The real Natsumi was sitting in front of her, scowling at Tamaki.

"So!" Tamaki clapped, smiling at everyone, "We're almost there. Right, Kyoya?"

"You've been there before." Kyoya sighed, pushing up his glasses, "So you should know."

Tears formed in Tamaki's violets eyes as he swivelled to Haruhi. "Daughter! See how Mommy treats me?" Tamaki sniffed.

"He only does that because he loves you, sempai." Haruhi joked.

"Really?" Tamaki's eyes sparkled sprightly. He turned to Kyoya who was just plain irritated.

"No." Kyoya snapped. "Why would anyone love that idiot?" Tamaki sniffed, clenching his heart. Out of the corner of Haruhi's eye, she saw Natsumi open and close her mouth. Haruhi gave her thumbs up, and Natsumi blushed slightly, before swiftly turning around in her seat to stare out of her window.

Haruhi chuckled, causing Tamaki to face her. "What's so funny?" Tamaki asked.

Haruhi shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips. "Nothing, sempai."

The drive to the tropical-whatever was noisy, with Tamaki's constant sniffling, Kyoya's constant irritated sighing as well as Haruhi's and Natsumi face-palming every now and again. The limousine rolled to a stop. The chauffeur hopped out and opened the door, bidding everyone a good day as they bounded out of the vehicle.

"Haru-Chan!" Mitsukini chimed as ran outside from the building and hopped on Haruhi's back. Mori quickly followed, and Tamaki tore the small boy off of Haruhi.

"Honey-sempai!" Tamaki frowned, placing his hands on his hips, "You could have strangled my daughter!"

"Don't exaggerate, Tamaki." Natsumi pushed her way past the Hosts, with a scowl set firmly on her face. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder as she smiled, "C'mon, Haruhi. Let's go get changed."

* * *

A/N: **I'm so sorry for making you wait that long for this and to be honest, it's not even a good chapter.**

**But that will change! I promise! So don't worry.**

**That's basically it, so I hope you enjoyed this little chapter.**

**Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - "Did you know jungles are scary?"**

A/N: Why hello there!

Before we begin… I'm deeply sorry for how long this took me to update. My internet wouldn't work for awhile and mostly I was too lazy to finish it off. Oh well.

I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

* * *

"No! Please don't!" Haruhi shrieked.

Haruhi landed in the pool with her arms flailing around her, landing with a great splash that also soaked the one who pushed her in. Natsumi laughed, and dived in after her. Haruhi resurfaced, gasping for air as Natsumi bobbed up, chuckling.

"Damn you, Natsumi. I wasn't planning on going in just yet." Haruhi panted, giving Natsumi a good splash in the face. Natsumi chuckled, sticking out her tongue and winked with her gray eye.

"Oh well." Natsumi flicked her wrist. "You're in now so just enjoy it." Haruhi paddled over to the steps, trying to get out but Natsumi stopped her. She jumped on Haruhi's back, wrapping her arms around her friend's chest. "Where you going?" Natsumi chuckled, pulling herself and Haruhi back into the clear water.

Leaning their arms against the edge of the pool, the two girls were relaxing. Admiring Haruhi's pink bikini, Natsumi cooed, "That's a nice bikini you got there."

"This thing?" Haruhi looked down and started fiddling with the frills. "Kaoru told me that the last time we went here, his twin maids forced me to wear this. I never knew I kept it."

Natsumi placed her hands on the edge and pushed herself up. Offering her hand to Haruhi, Haruhi grabbed it and yanked down sharply, causing Natsumi to tumble in. Haruhi was laughing as Natsumi resurfaced, rubbing the water of out her green eye with a slight pout on her face. "Revenge!" Haruhi laughed, as she paddled away.

Natsumi swam over to the steps. As she was just about to climb out, Haruhi called, "Do you mind getting me a float? I think they're at the main building."

Natsumi wrung her ponytail, the last few drops running down her back. She shook her head, "I don't mind. I'll get it now."

"Ah, thanks!" Haruhi smiled, floating on her back and staring up at the ceiling of the dome, which surrounded the whole thing. A smile played at Natsumi's lips as she passed Kyoya, who was sitting at a table under an umbrella typing away on his laptop. "S'up Specs?" Natsumi called over her shoulder which caused Kyoya to glare at her.

"Why must you call me that?"

Natsumi responded by sticking out her tongue. She strolled on by Mori and Honey who were busy playing with the exotic birds. She entered the building and grabbed the nearest float, noticing that Tamaki and the Twins were in the room with her too. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the three who all had innocent expressions locked onto their faces. The three of them had their hands behind their backs, causing Natsumi to lean over, trying to see.

"You might need this, Natsumi!" Tamaki smiled, throwing her a massive water gun, filled to the brim. She stared down at the gun, her eyes widening slowly as she realised what was about to happen.

She couldn't tell who shot first, but she managed to block it with the float she held in her hands. "Wait!" Natsumi cried, peeking around her shield. "Lemme give this to Haruhi, okay?" The three nodded, walking outside and taking their positions. "You're in my team. Is that alright?" Tamaki asked, taking shelter behind a rock. Natsumi nodded.

Natsumi sprinted to the pool and dropped the lilo, causing ripples. "Thanks." Haruhi smiled, watching her friend turn in a hurry and sprint back the way she came. Once she got there, she ducked behind a rock beside Tamaki.

"We just take cover and shoot." Tamaki explained, "We can't get hit."

Natsumi nodded, a serious expression on her face. She peeked out behind her shelter, and quickly retreated as a stream of water landed where her face was seconds ago.

"They have good aim." Natsumi sighed, "Do you know where they are?"

"Kaoru's in the trees," Tamaki pointed to the cluster of exotic trees nearby, "and Hikaru's at those loungers, way over there." From the angle that the two were, they could clearly see Hikaru. But he was far away, crouching down beside some loungers and aiming his gun in Natsumi's direction. Natsumi furrowed her brows - she was going to get that little baka.

"Cover me."

"What?" Tamaki cried, almost dropping his gun.

"I'm going to sprint into those trees, find Kaoru and shoot him."

"B-but!" Tamaki stuttered, gripping his gun tighter. "Kaoru's agile! He might shoot you…"

"It's a risk worth taking. Just cover me, okay?"

Tamaki pouted, shifting over so he could lean his gun on a partially-covered section of the rock. He aimed the gun, and from the corner of his eye he could see Hikaru run. "He's running!"

"Who, Kaoru?"

"No, Hikaru!" Tamaki pouted, putting his finger on the trigger. "He ran into the trees. I think he's at the far back though but that's too far to shoot."

Natsumi clutched the gun to her chest. She swiped away the bangs from her eyes, tucking them behind her ears. "I'm still going. Just stay covered and cover me, okay?"

Hikaru ran out from the trees, holding his gun to his chest as he ran towards the main building. Tamaki shot at him, but missed. Hikaru wasn't near enough. "Hikaru's in the building. Probably getting a drink from the vending machine or something."

"We don't have to worry about him then." Natsumi shifted into a squatting position, holding her gun firmly in her hands. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled, "Just cover me, okay?"

Tamaki nodded and poised his gun, sneaking a glance at Natsumi as she straightened up and bolted to take cover at the trees. Tamaki shot in every direction at the trees, hoping that he distract Kaoru. Natsumi bobbed down, sliding her back down the tree as she squatted, giving Tamaki the thumbs up. She held the gun firmly in her hands and placed her finger on the trigger. Closing her eyes and concentrating on her sense of hearing, she could hear a few birds squeaking, and slight thudding.

She bent round, and started crawling on her knees. She slowly crawled to a bush, hiding behind it as she peeked out, searching for Kaoru. A flash of skin and a pair of orange shorts ran by the bush, so close to her face, and headed to the trees. Kaoru leant by the tree, his back towards Natsumi and sighed. "Where is she?"

Natsumi shifted slightly, a branch crackling under her knee, warning Kaoru. Kaoru rotated his head, his wide eyes filled with panic. He shot at Natsumi, but she dodged it and Kaoru ran. Natsumi slowly followed after him, stalking Kaoru like a lion did to its prey.

His heart was beating furiously, and his palms were slick. He was facing the best female martial arts expert in Japan. Of course he would be scared! He couldn't hear much, apart from his own breathing and the chirping of the birds as he aimlessly wandered around, poising his gun.

Natsumi snuck up behind him, her eyes focusing on his head. If his head turned ever so slightly, her cover would be blown. She snuck up slowly, with her gun in one hand. She stood up quietly, never making any sound. She slung an arm around his neck, pulling him close against her. Kaoru dropped his gun, and Natsumi kicked it away with her foot. Kaoru tried clawing off her arm, but it was stuck there. She aimed her gun at his back, and he was about to yell for help. Natsumi inched her head forward, whispering "Shh, it's okay."

She pressed the trigger, and a stream of cold water hit Kaoru's back. "Ah!" Kaoru yelped, as Natsumi removed her arm, "That was cold."

Natsumi giggled, turning on her heel and walking back the way she came. "Good game, Kaoru-kun." Natsumi called over her shoulder, giving a slight wave. Kaoru stood there, his jaw hanging open.

Natsumi crouched at the trees, staring at the rock that Tamaki was hiding behind. "Tamaki!" She whispered loudly, causing a blonde head to pop out. Visibly relaxing when he saw the girl, he quietly asked, "Did you get him?"

Natsumi gave him a smug look and replied that she did. "Where's Hikaru?" She slung the gun over her shoulder, still in a squatting position.

"Still in the building." Tamaki shifted his gun, watching Natsumi run over and plonk herself down beside the blonde. "You should have seen the look on Kaoru's face!" Natsumi laughed, setting the gun on her lap.

"We still need to get Hikaru though. Then we can celebrate." Tamaki sternly said. He hummed a little French tune, thinking of the next step in their battle plan. A light bulb pinged inside his head, as he said, "Why don't you be the distraction for him to come out and when he does, I'll shoot him!"

Natsumi mulled this over. "Okay… You stick close to the door, okay? Don't let him see you. Wait until I pull him out a little."

"Okay!" Tamaki beamed, "We're the best team ever, Natsumi!" He high-fived his friend and Natsumi chuckled. She shoved Tamaki out of his little spot and took it, poising her gun towards the building's only door. She ushered Tamaki away, so he crawled to the door. Crouching by the corner, he gave Natsumi a thumbs up.

The girl took deep breaths, and stood up. Hikaru was beside the door, staring out from the clear glass. He hadn't noticed Tamaki, which was a good thing. Natsumi slung the gun over her shoulder, and walked out into the open. Raising her hands up, she leaned heavily on one foot.

Hikaru cracked open the door slightly, and called out. "Where's Tono?"

"He's been shot." She glanced at the corner, but Hikaru didn't notice. "I'm giving up."

Hikaru raised his gun, aiming at her. Natsumi crossed her arms and glared, "Don't you dare. Come out and shoot me, face to face."

Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows. "Drop the gun."

Natsumi did as she was told, and placed it beside her. "Now, kick it away." He ordered, taking a step out of his shelter.

Muttering to herself, she kicked it away and placed her hands on her hips. "You happy now?"

Hikaru slowly walked towards her, an evil grin spread on his face. "I'd be even happier if you took off your bikini top." He winked, causing Natsumi to shudder. _Such a pervert, _Natsumi thought angrily, _He needs to be taught a painful lesson or two._

He reached for his gun, slowly placing it in his hands. He aimed at her chest, all the while giving her a creepy grin. Natsumi shuddered. Just when would Tamaki shoot him? As if hearing her prayer, Tamaki jumped out and charged at Hikaru, yelling a battle cry.

Hikaru swivelled round, his eyes dark. He aimed his gun at Tamaki but Natsumi jumped onto Hikaru's back, tightly wrapping her legs around his waist and covering his eyes with her hands. He thrashed around, shooting blindly but never managing to hit Natsumi nor Tamaki. Natsumi jumped off, and as adjusted his eyes, he felt the cold water hit his stomach.

Natsumi jumped, punching the air. "Yay!" She cheered, a big grin etched on her face, "We did it!" She ran over to Tamaki and hugged him, tightly squeezing him. Colour rose to Tamaki's cheeks as he chuckled.

Hikaru muttered to himself as he turned on his heel, entering the building and bending down to pick up his can of juice. He went outside, shielding his eyes with his hands as he scanned the inside of the dome. Natsumi and Tamaki were walking over to Kyoya who was sitting at a table under an umbrella, Kaoru was walking out from the cluster of trees, Mori and Honey were watching the exotic parrots and also feeding them, and Haruhi was no where in sight. He smiled to himself as he downed the rest of his juice. When he was finished, he threw the can behind him as it hit off the wall and hit a big red button, 'accidentally'. He chuckled as the big, red button flashed and a scream was heard.

It was Haruhi's scream. She was clutching on to the float for dear life as a massive wave came out from nowhere, crashing into her and knocking her off her float. The wave shoved her down the stream that curved itself into the jungle. She tried swimming to the edge of the stream, but she couldn't. The current was too fast, and as stupid as it sounds, she had to go with the flow.

Everyone's heads shot up as they heard the scream. All ran to Kyoya, where they found him with his legs crossed and worry etched onto his features.

"Do you remember what happened last time we went here?" Kyoya asked, shutting his laptop.

Everyone nodded, apart from Natsumi. Kyoya faced the confused girl and explained what happened, every now and again glancing at Hikaru. But the accused stood there with his arms folded, an innocent expression on his face.

"This is what we will do. Mori and Honey, you follow the stream." Mori and Honey nodded, following the stream as they bid their friends good luck. "Hikaru and Kaoru, you take the left side." Hikaru and Kaoru stood to attention, and made their way over. "Tamaki and Natsumi, you take the right side." Kyoya ordered, pointing to the other side of the trees.

Natsumi opened her mouth to speak but Kyoya interrupted her, "I will stay here, incase she manages to find her way back."

* * *

It was around twenty minutes into the search, and Haruhi hadn't been found. Hikaru and Kaoru were walking side by side, uncharacteristically silent. Hikaru swatted some low hanging leaves, as Kaoru stared at the ground in front of them.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Hikaru asked innocently, glancing at his brother from the corner of his eye.

"She could be injured, or worse."

"You're lying…" Hikaru shook his head, disbelief evident in his breathy voice.

"There are alligators in this place. Snakes too."

Hikaru stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. Kaoru wasn't lying - he knew his brother wouldn't lie to him. What if Haruhi got bitten by one of the snakes? They were exotic, and most likely a few could be poisonous.

"Why are you doing this?" Kaoru asked sharply, leaning against a tree and staring at his brother.

"Doing what?" Hikaru nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"This!" Kaoru snapped, "All of this! It's not her fault that she had an accident and lost memories. She couldn't control it."

Hikaru sunk down, holding his head in his hands. Kneading his fingers into his hair, he panicked. What if Haruhi ended up in hospital? What if she ended up dead? The girl was clumsy and didn't have the skills of Honey, who ended up in this predicament last time.

Hikaru shot up and started running. "Where are you going?" Kaoru called after him, jogging slightly.

"I have to find her! I have to apologise!"

* * *

Another ten minutes had passed and Haruhi still hadn't been found. Natsumi took lead, as she weaved her way past the low hanging leaves, holding a few back for Tamaki. Tamaki was slowly walking behind her, keeping an eye out for Haruhi.

The two were silent. "Calm down, Tamaki." Natsumi sighed, looking over her shoulder. "Don't worry! Haruhi's a tough cookie."

"B-but…" Tamaki stuttered, clasping his hands together behind his back.

"Haruhi will be fine, trust me. She knows how to handle herself." Natsumi swivelled round, placing her hands on her hips. A small yellow thing peeked out from a branch of a well leaf-covered tree. Snaking its way down, it inched closer towards Natsumi's ponytail.

"Natsumi! Outta the way!" Tamaki yelled as he pushed his friend out of the way, causing the small snake to shake and fall out of the tree. It landed on the leafy floor with a small thud, coiling itself up and just staring at the two. Its black slits for eyes staring at them, watching them. Natsumi swooped down, picking it up from its body and quickly throwing it back up into the tree. Tamaki was shaking and staring at the snake in fear, as Natsumi stared at it in awe as it slowly slithered away.

"An eyelash pit viper. Never expected to see one here." Natsumi breathed, staring in awe as it slithered up some branches. "It's a tree snake. It feels vulnerable when on the ground."

"It could have bitten you! I'm a hundred percent certain that that snake is poisonous. Picking it up like that… it could have bitten you!" Tamaki exclaimed, his eyes wide and full of panic.

"Yes, I know that." Natsumi smiled, tucking her bangs behind her ears.

"Natsumi… Please be careful, for my sake. Okay?" Tamaki grabbed Natsumi's hand, causing Natsumi to blush and shake her hand free.

"Wha-whatever!"

* * *

Fifteen minutes had past, and Haruhi was still missing. She could be sitting under a tree, in the stomach of alligators, a chew toy for snakes, getting devoured by quicksand… The scenarios were endless.

Mori was panicking, big time. He remembered when Honey went missing and he ended up carrying Haruhi as she was clumsy. Tripping over branches, scraping herself… And it didn't help that she was slightly scared of the snakes.

"We need to split up."

Mori widened his eyes. He said nothing as Honey continued. "There's better chances of finding her if we do. You know that."

Mori opened his mouth to speak, staring down at his cousin. "I'll be fine. There's no need to worry." Honey interrupted, taking a sharp turn into the trees. "Continue along this path, okay? I'll go this way."

"Yell if you find her." Mori said quietly, glancing over his shoulder. Honey's reply was a loud hum, and he continued trekking into the trees.

Mori ran a hand through his hair, scanning the surrounding bushes and trees as he walked deeper. Every so often he would hear slight thudding, but he convinced himself that it was just the animals that lived here. Snakes hissed as they slithered along the ground, twisting around some fallen logs or a few rocks. Birds cried, perched up in the high branches of the trees. A few of the braver ones swooped down, perching themselves on the branches closest to Mori's height.

A red macaw with yellow and blue feathers on his wings swooped down, landing on Mori's head. It bent down, and nibbled his hair, pecking at his scalp. Mori raised his hands above his head, gently trying to remove the bird, but all it did was shriek and flap its colourful wings.

The bird raised his colourful wings, and flew away. Mori watched it leave, walking slowly as the colours faded from his sight. For a split second, Mori wondered if he would ever see that bird again. But he continued along his path, searching for Haruhi.

A few minutes had passed. Mori kept searching, but with no luck. Haruhi was still missing. Just about as he was to turn around and re-search the way he came, colours swept around him - circling around his head. The mass of colours cried, landing on a rock and ruffling its feather. It was the same macaw as before. Mori smiled and advanced cautiously, a hand raised before him.

The bird tilted his head and flapped his wings, landing on a branch a few meters away. Mori slowly followed with his hand still in front of him. He tried beckoning the bird forward but it flew away, landing on a log. The bird turned, ruffling its feather, as if to say 'follow me'. And as crazy as it sounds, Mori did. He jogged slightly as the bird flew, gliding skilfully and slowly through the branches.

The bird sped up, causing Mori to run after it. A few times he tripped, but dusted himself off and ran after it. The macaw cried every so often, slightly looking over its wings to check if Mori was there. The bird sharply turned right, almost causing Mori to run into a tree.

Light streamed into his eyes and he lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light. The macaw perched itself on his shoulder, ruffling his colourful feathers and nudging his head. Mori turned his head to his left, his eyes widening.

Underneath what could have been the tallest tree in the jungle, sat a figure, hunched up with her head on her knees. Mori walked over, confused. Could this be a hallucination? The macaw hopped off Mori's shoulder, and onto Haruhi's head, were it nibbled her locks and squawked.

Haruhi raised her head slightly and the macaw hopped onto her arm, ruffling his feathers. He lifted his wings and advanced forward, giving Haruhi's face a hug. Or something along the lines of a hug anyway.

"Skittles! Let me breathe." was Haruhi's muffled reply, as she tried tearing away the bird's wings.

Skittles hopped backwards, landing on Haruhi's knees with a loud squawk. Haruhi's hands rose up to her face, and began to rub her eyes.

"Skittles?"

Haruhi jumped, peeking out from between her fingers. Her shoulders slumped when she spotted Mori.

"Takashi…" she said with a breathy voice, "You found me."

Mori bent down, placing his hand gently on Haruhi's shoulder. "It's okay."

"Did you know jungles are scary?" Haruhi mumbled, "Or what ever this place is? It's scary."

Haruhi held up a hand. With an embarrassed look on her face, she mumbled, "Do you mind helping me up? I think I sprained my ankle."

Mori wrapped one arm around Haruhi's back, and one under her knees. Carrying Haruhi in this fashion sure made it a lot easier for Mori, every time he had to lift her. Haruhi let her head lean against Mori's bare chest. If she was quiet enough, she could hear his heart beat loudly, and quickly too. Mori looked down, smiling at the sight of Haruhi as he wrapped his arms around her a little bit more securely.

"How long was I missing?"

"Around 45 minutes." Mori said quietly, sidestepping around a log.

Skittles squawked, circling around the two as they made their way back to Kyoya and the others. He closed his beak and landed on Haruhi's arms, before hopping up and rubbing his beak against her nose. Haruhi smiled and stroked his head, her fingers running off his smooth feathers.

"Do you think Kyoya will let me keep him?"

Mori smiled. "Maybe."

* * *

A/N: That's it. That's the twelfth chapter.

Future chapters will be better written. I promise!

So, I hope you enjoyed it.

Goodbye. See you next time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13- "Is this really necessary?" **

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

Although, I do own a few original characters that I have mentioned in this chapter. I'm pretty sure people won't actually use them but oh well. I'll write this anyway.

* * *

It was early in the morning, a time where most students were making their way to school, be that from a train, bus, a car ride or simply walking, but considering that this is Ouran students we're talking about, a limousine ride would most likely be the case. But this didn't include the Host Club, as they had all arrived early to talk about the afternoon's activities. Not much was spoken, only that the afternoon activities would be fairly relaxed and normal, which surprised the female Host as most of the week's activities involved dressing up in extravagant and expensive items of clothing, sometimes speaking with a strange accent. Haruhi didn't question it, as she confused as she was. But she knew that if she questioned anything, she would receive a straight-forward answer from Kyoya, leaving her more baffled than before.

The cloudy skies appeared to have more cloud than sun, as a few strands of sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting unusual patterns on the polished floor. Haruhi, with her head under a plush sofa and a few chairs, called out to the other side of the spacious room. "Honey? Have you seen a textbook of mine?"

Honey skipped over from the grand doors of the Third Music Room, standing behind Haruhi as he gazed down at the disgruntled girl. "Which one, Haru-Chan?" The small host asked, bobbing his head to his side as he clutched Usa-Chan close to his chest.

"My Maths textbook, I think. My books have been misplaced a lot, lately." Haruhi emerged from under the chairs, dust gathering in her hair. She ran her hand through her locks as she stared at the second in command, who was busy listening to what Tamaki had to say, scribbling in his little black notebook from time to time. "Kyoya hasn't sold my stuff again, has he? Kaoru told me he even sold my pencil before."

Honey squatted down before the girl, placing his chin atop of the little bunny's pink head. "I'll help you look, Haru-Chan!" Honey smile's faltered as his brows furrowed slightly. "But if Kyo-Chan did sell your stuff, Tama-Chan would be over here and apologise in his place, non-stop."

As the two close friends were engrossed in their conversation, which consisted of merrily chatting of school, cake, friends, cake and so on. They never noticed the tallest host silently stalk over, his eyes wandering between his cousin and the female host. "Haruhi."

Haruhi dusted herself off, missing a speck of dust on her flushed cheeks as she rose, staring up at the tall host. "Hey, Takashi." Haruhi smiled toothily, "What's up?"

"Here." Shoving his large hands towards her, were three textbooks in his possession. "I found them outside."

With her eyes wide open, she gladly eased the textbooks out from her sempai's hands. With a slight blush dusting her cheeks, she quickly bowed before reaching up and giving the tall male a gentle hug.

"Thank you, Mori." She beamed up at him, letting one hand fall down to her side as the other grasped the textbooks.

Mori nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. He placed a hand upon Haruhi's head and ruffled it affectionately, earning a little chuckle from Honey. Mori's steady gaze wandered down from her doe-like eyes, noticing some dust on her cheek. He carefully reached down, placing his thumb on her flushed cheek, gently sweeping in an upwards direction. As he retracted his thumb, Haruhi only smiled up at him, blushing heavily.

Honey chuckled, giving the two an I-see-how-it-goes-here look as he crawled up his cousin's back, plonking down on his broad shoulders. "If you ever lose your books again, don't be afraid to call us, Haru-Chan." Honey smiled contently down at the two, noticing Haruhi's flushed face and his cousin's slightly red cheeks. Oh, young love…

* * *

"You know, I never thought people could slip on banana peels, Haruhi." Kaoru learnt against the wall, laughing slightly as he stared at the pouting girl on the floor. They were on their way to their morning classes and the hallways were strangely empty, with a few students running here and there, never giving the two hosts a second glance.

The girl sat on her bottom, rubbing her lower back as she pouted in Kaoru's direction. "Instead of laughing, you could help me up." Haruhi huffed as Kaoru offered a hand, which she gladly accepted. Kaoru yanked her up, turning her around and swiping specs of dirt from her blazer.

"Geez, Haruhi." Kaoru laughed, receiving a glare from Haruhi as she looked over her shoulder. "You should be more careful."

"I was careful! It just appeared out of nowhere." Haruhi argued, shifting the strap so that it lay more comfortable over her shoulder.

"Banana peels can't just pop out from the ground, Haruhi." Kaoru countered, grinning. "Maybe it fell from your pocket, or something." He chuckled, jokily giving her a slight push.

* * *

"Haruhi, move!"

"What?"

Haruhi landed on her bottom, with Natsumi sprawled across her lap. They were just exiting the main building, walking back to their classes as lunch had just finished. Natsumi pushed herself up, resting on her knees as she inspected Haruhi.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Worry laced Natsumi's quiet voice, causing Haruhi to process just what happened. Haruhi looked at her friend, her reflection shining off the cloud lenses of Natsumi's glasses. Fixing her bag over her slender shoulder, Haruhi steadily rose to her feat, staring at the girl in front of her.

"I'm fine… But you just pushed me, which surprised me. Why do you ask?"

"Take a look for yourself." Natsumi gestured behind her, where Haruhi stood only moments ago. A cracked red plant pot had fell from the storey above, the soil oozing from the cracks and spilling on to the ground.

"That… That could have landed on my head…" Haruhi frowned, switching her gaze from the plant pot to the back of her friend's head. As Natsumi inspected the pot, switching her gaze to the open window above them, Natsumi's high ponytail bobbed slowly, uncertainly.

"Don't mention it." Natsumi cupped her chin, staring at the window where the plant had fallen from. A blur of yellow passed open window, as Natsumi's mismatched eyes widened in shock, hidden behind her glasses. "You go on to class, Haruhi." Natsumi mumbled, glancing over her shoulder. "Isn't your class starting? Mine will start in five minutes. I'll see you later."

Natsumi left without receiving an answer from Haruhi. The girl ran up a flight of stairs which were situated close by, running to the hall that Natsumi guessed where the plant had fallen. She peered out from the window, narrowing her eyes as she spotted the broken plant pot.

Natsumi rested her elbows against the window sill, cupping her cheeks as she stared at the splattered soil down below. Was this an accident? Or was someone deliberately trying to harm Haruhi? But that was absurd! Who want to harm Haruhi?There was no reason for Haruhi to be picked on but as Natsumi walked down the steps, her hand lightly sweeping the cool metal banister, she couldn't help shivering a little. Natsumi didn't know if the reason was that the temperature had just dropped a little, or the feeling that she was being watched.

* * *

Haruhi stared out from her classroom window, cupping her chin in one hand as the other drummed unsteadily against the wooden table. As she watched the retreating sight of the majority of the Ouran's students, she sighed a little. Haruhi really wasn't particularly in the mood for the Host Club, and that was particularly influenced by a nagging voice in the back of her mind agreed with her. It was stupid really, but as uncertainty bubbled in her stomach, she abruptly stood up, causing the legs of the chair to scrape noisily against the floor.

The bell had rung, maybe ten minutes ago, signalling that school was over. The long hallways were silent and empty, with a few loitering students quickly waddling away as they held their books tightly, their knuckles white as they rushed past.

Haruhi sighed, lowering her head and staring at the ground just in front of her feet as she walked, not really paying attention. A pair of black, well polished school shoes came into her view which caused Haruhi's eyes to travel to the person's face.

"Haruhi-kun!" The girl smiled, her dark blonde bangs framing her small face with her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, a few strands coiling on the back of her neck. In her small hand, were a pair of glasses and as she nervously fiddled with them, she warmly smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, hello. I'm heading to the Host Club." Haruhi smiled at the kind girl, who only lowered her face in response.

"I mustn't keep you then, Haruhi-kun. Have fun!" She tilted her head to the side, her bangs following her movements as she politely smiled. She reached up, standing on the balls of her feet as she gave Haruhi a firm hug. "I'll see you in class. Bye then!"

Haruhi smiled as she watched the small girl side-step around her, watching her retreating figure round the corner at the end of the hallway. But what Haruhi failed to notice, as the girl made her exit, was the small scowl set on the girl's features.

Haruhi ambled towards the end of the hallway, knowing that once she rounded the corner and at the end of that hallway, was the Third Music Room. With one hand she pushed open one grand door, smiling as she stepped in, as she let the door shut, alerting the others that she had finally arrived.

"Haruhi~!" A set of strong arms wrapped around her small frame, sending her spinning around the room. But Haruhi sighed and went along with it, ignoring the little nervous feeling bubbling in her stomach. "Haruhi. I missed you so much!"

"Missed you too, sempai." Haruhi replied, her words muffled as Tamaki held her head to his chest. "Now," Haruhi placed her hands on her the blonde's chest, "I have to go study."

"Whaaa?" Tamaki sniffed, tightening his grip on the girl. "Can't you study later?" He sounded hurt, and Haruhi bit her lip slightly. She didn't want to see her friend upset, but she had to study.

"I'm sorry, Tamaki." Haruhi said with a sad smile, again placing her hands on his chest. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" She pushed him back slightly, expecting him to cry out and hold her tighter. But when he didn't, and when he let his arms fall to his side, he smiled down at the girl. "It's a promise!" He grinned, before skipping away.

That idiot. Always so carefree, Haruhi smiled as she made her way over to the far corner, waving at Honey and Kyoya as she passed. She pulled out a chair, sitting on the plush cushion comforting to her unfortunately-going-to-be-bruised bottom.

"Haru-Chan! What ch'you doing?"

"Revising Geography, Mitsukini." Haruhi pulled out a folder from her bag, setting it on the table before her as she turned in her seat slightly, facing her friend.

"Do you need any help?"

"No, not at the moment. I'll call you if I do, though." Haruhi shifted her gaze back to the table, as she skimmed through a few of her notebooks of the subject. She stopped on a random page, her head snapping up as read this particular word - hold. Hold, hold, holder… Haruhi reached into her blazer pocket, frowning as she searched for her wallet.

"Darn. I've forgotten my wallet." Haruhi sighed, rising to her feet. "Pardon me, Mitsukini. I just have to go get it."

"Your wallet? What was that doing out in your class?"

"I usually keep my phone in my wallet and Kaoru kept texting me, although Hikaru told him to knock it off a few times, which was nice of him. So, I turned my phone off, stuffing it in my wallet and I must have shoved under the desk instead of placing it in my blazer." Haruhi grumbled, placing a hand on the door. "So, please excuse me." And with that, she left.

The spacious room was silent, as they all slowly realised that the female Host had left. Tamaki ran into the middle of the room, his arms flailing about. "Mommy! Where did our precious daughter go?" He cried, sniffling.

"Calm down, Tama-Chan!" Honey tried to comfort the teen, but to no avail. "Haru-Chan's gone to fetch her wallet."

"Oh." That seemed to quieten him down, before he sniffled, "But why didn't she tell me?"

Kyoya sighed, snapping his notebook shut. He stared at the hosts in turn, causing them to quieten as they all waited for what he had to say. "As Haruhi has left for a while, I feel it is time to discuss a few things."

"About what?" The twins questioned, sitting side by side on a nearby sofa. Although the relationship between the two had improved, Kaoru wasn't fully open with his brother. Hikaru, however, had seemed to notice this, but he didn't let it show. The youngest twin snuck a glance at his brother, noticing the worry in his eyes.

"Recently, I have noticed that Haruhi is missing a lot of things." the black-haired teen stated, answered with the rest of the hosts nodding. "And also, Natsumi informed me earlier today that a plant pot 'fell' from the second floor, almost landing on herself and Haruhi."

"The plant pot could have been an accident, though. There are a few clumsy people in this school." Kaoru suggested, leaning his elbows on his knees. There were a few nods and hums from the hosts, but Kyoya shook his head slightly. "But," Kaoru added, "She slipped on a banana peel on the way to class… Could that have been an accident?"

"I have realised that there is a possibility that those incidents could have been the results of a few clumsy students, but I can't take any chances. With losing her books, tripping on objects and a pot almost falling on her head, it sounds like someone is deliberately trying to harm her or shake her spirits a little."

"But do we know anything about the person, Kyo-Chan?"

"Yes. When the plant pot had just fallen, Natsumi happened to look up and spot a blonde head. She then went up to investigate, noting that she could look out the window perfectly with the window sill reaching her chin. She then informed me that she could faintly see a forehead along with the blonde hair, when she was on the ground floor. That told me that the person, is smaller than herself and Haruhi."

Kyoya waited for the murmurs among the friends to die down. He pushed up his glasses, coughing a little to clear his throat. "So, I have drawn up a survey of people with blonde hair and who are smaller than 5'1. There are a total of six girls in the school, with matching results. You ended up as a result in the survey, Honey but I have excluded you as I know you would never deliberately harm Haruhi."

The shadow king handed a piece of paper to the twins, which on it two names that were scribbled along with two photos. The first picture showed a girl, with a beauty mark under her left eye. She had piercing blue eyes which were full of laughter, and a small smile. "Kazumi Gato, 1-A." Kaoru read, observing the picture of said girl. The second picture, showed a girl with dark brown eyes, hiding behind a pair of glasses. She had two, long straight bangs framing her face and her long, wavy blonde hair tumbled past her shoulders. "Aya Kimura, 1-A." Hikaru read, taking the photo of said girl.

"Seeing as there is two from your class, I want you to investigate. Kaoru, you take Gato and Hikaru will take Kimura." Kyoya drawled, handing paper with two stapled pictures, to Honey and Mori.

"On that page you will find, Emiru Kaneko, 2-D and Izumi Kimura, 3-A."

"Kaneko's in Rei-Chan's class! I'll talk to her then." Honey said, pocketing the paper and holding the photo of the girl between his finger and thumb. The photo depicted a young-looking, with a sad expression set on her pale face, with hazel eyes and had surprisingly long bangs, but her blonde hair reached her chin. The second photo that Mori held showed a girl just bordering 5'1, with long wavy bangs lying in front of her shoulders, with long blonde hair stopping mid-back. She looked very serious, as if she had a strict up-bringing and her dark brown eyes held no emotion. "You will speak to the elder Kimura, Mori."

"Tamaki will deal with a girl in our class, Haruka Yamamaki." Kyoya held up a picture of a stick-thin girl with curly blonde hair. Noticing her dull, green eyes, which were hidden behind thick glasses, and forced smile as he passed the photo to Tamaki, which he received with a small frown. "As I will deal with Yuka Iwasaki, 2-B." This girl had her long blonde hair plaited down her back. She was smiling happily, and her glasses were on the tip of her nose. In the photo, with one eye opened, the other was closed as one hand tried to push up her glasses.

"Is this really necessary?" Hikaru questioned. "I mean, all the photos and bits of information about them? It feels like someone as committed a crime, or something."

Kyoya's head snapped up sharply, causing Hikaru to quiver in his spot. "Yes." The black-haired teen barked, "It is." Kyoya sighed, dipping his head as he spoke in a gentler tone. "I do not wish to see Haruhi harmed. She is a dear friend, and we all care about her." Kyoya yet again sighed, and all went silent. After a few moments of silence, Kyoya rubbed the side of his temple, blankly staring at Hikaru as he muttered, "I'm sorry for snapping," under his breath.

Everyone's eyes slowly widened as they registered what had been said. Kyoya. Apologising. All were confused as a shocked expression was apparent on their faces, some with their hands covering their agape mouths, with that being Hikaru and Tamaki. Sure, Kyoya had a knack for apologising with his actions, and he has given a few apologetic words before, but never in a case like this.

"Don't stare at me like I have two heads. I am perfectly capable of apologising every so often." Kyoya said curtly, crossing his legs and placing his interlocked hands on his knees. The light of the dim sun shone in through the window, glinting off his glasses. All nodded their heads, murmuring their apologies at the teen in front of them. "Now, enough about me." Dismissing the subject, Kyoya faced Hikaru, who was trembling at the heavy gaze Kyoya had set upon him

"How is the situation going with Haruhi?" Tamaki quietly asked, nodding towards the twins.

In all fairness, the situation regarding Haruhi had been going well ever since the incident at Kyoya's, which was a couple of weeks ago. Hikaru had managed to apologise for his doings, and their relationship had steadily started to climb from rock-bottom. But, as much as Hikaru wanted to apologise for being an absolute jerk for how he reacted and what he said since the day Haruhi lost her memories, he never found the time to. Before the incident at Kyoya's, Hikaru was down-right mad at Haruhi, or so he thought. But as time progressed, he had realised that he wasn't angry at her, and that he should have no right to. He was just angry at himself, and he was caught up in that boiling anger, he never realised that he and Haruhi, and the entire Host Club could concoct new memories for all of them to smile and laugh at. But as much as he wanted to atone for his mistakes, Haruhi had brushed him off, claiming that she was busy and didn't have the time to chat. It was understandable, seeing that she had to constantly work hard to remain top position of her class and also, she still felt uneasy around him, but Hikaru understood that too. So, as hard as he will, eventually he will apologise.

"So-so…" Hikaru grumbled, "Every time I go up to talk to her, we manage to talk for awhile and when I try to apologise but she always hurries off."

"Well, at least you tried, Hika-Chan." Honey reassured, squeezing his little rabbit close to his chest. "There's always next time, though. And I'm sure she will listen to you."

The relationships between all the hosts and Hikaru had improved as well, since Kyoya's. When Hikaru first tried to speak to Haruhi since then and repent for his actions, Haruhi sadly brushed him off, busy with studying. So, he went to Kaoru and talked with his brother. Kaoru was happy to know that Hikaru had realised what of a jerk he had been, and was all happy to help him ask for forgiveness from all the others, but the youngest twin still wasn't fully open, which saddened Hikaru. Some hadn't taken it too well, but with time they had all gotten closer. Even a little helped. Now all of them crowded around each other, thinking of plans for Hikaru to apologise to the only female Host.

"This situation may help your current problem." Mori glanced down at Hikaru, his face emotionless like stone. Hikaru dipped his head forwards, shadowing his eyes as he processed what his friends were saying.

"Mm-hmm, Hika-Chan! Be positive, okay?"

* * *

A/N: Why hello there, everyone!

I'm ready for all your hate reviews. C'mon. Throw them at me.

Now, before you actually do... I'M SO SORRY. I'm so sorry for the long update! I..eh...well... I got addicted to watching anime the past few weeks, and well I've been neglecting Memories and TBToF. I'm terribly sorry.

Also, Memories will be nearing a stop soon. Maybe when it reaches twenty chapters, though? I've got a few good ideas left and I want to squeeze them in. Oh yes... Some chapters will be long, as I actually know what I'm doing in them so others may be quite short, because I haven't really found inspiration. I forced myself to write this badly-written chapter and I didn't really go through it because I would probably end up deleting it all out of frustration, so please pardon any mistakes or grammatical errors.

All your reads and reviews mean a lot to me, and I blush every time I get a little notification. I'd love to hear your ideas, and I may use bits of it in future chapters, if that's okay with you. I also appreciate criticism as it helps me with my work. So thank you again, everyone.

That's basically all I wanted to say, so thank you for just sitting there and reading this. Thank you.

Goodbye. And until next time.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - "I think she's a suspect."

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

* * *

"Kaoruuuu…"

"Hm?"

Kaoru ambled over towards his brother, who sat at a desk, leaning back in his chair as he stared up at the ceiling, twirling a pencil in one hand. Kaoru peered over his brother's shoulder, letting his chin rest on top, as he stared down at the pad of paper Hikaru had been sketching on.

"Help me…" Hikaru whined, "I'm stuuuuuuck…"

Kaoru chuckled at the sight of his brother, ruffling his hair which earned him a pout. "Try listening to music while you sketch designs," Kaoru advised, "then when you're done, show them to Mom."

Placing his pencil down on the desk, Hikaru sighed as he swivelled around in his chair. Facing his brother who was now sitting on the closest bed, he roughly rubbed his eyes then slowly dragged his hands down his face, earning a few chuckles from the youngest twin. "I think I need a break…" He placed his hands behind his head, stretching back in his seat.

"Well, there's a few things we need to talk about. We can do that now then."

"If it's about Haruhi…"

"No, not directly about her. It's about, eh, the girls… Y'know the names that Kyoya gave us?"

Stretching his arms behind his back, a few cracks were heard before a contented sigh escaped Hikaru's mouth. He ambled towards his bedroom door, resting a hand on the handle as he waited for his brother to follow him. Once Kaoru walked over, a few strides behind his brother as they made their way down the halls, and into the library they had built on down from their room.

Hikaru smiled, running his hand along the few bookcases they had lined against the wall in the small room. Books weren't really his thing, but Kaoru quite fancied reading from time to time but before Haruhi's memory loss, she would be forced to come over and spend time with them, often finding sanctuary in the small library of theirs. Another reason that Hikaru had came here, was to talk quietly with his brother, seeing that the twin maids of their were always around the corner, always watching. They knew not to come in here, as it was a private room.

Hikaru, already seated on one of the few arm chairs, faced his brother with his head in his hand. Kaoru walked over, taking a seat in silence as he leaned back, appreciating the soft feel of the armchair against his back.

"So…" The elder twin started, unsure on how to continue. "What does the Gato girl tell you?"

Kaoru relaxed back in his seat, his face serious as he thought about the small blonde. In his own opinion, the girl seemed not even capable of even hurting a fly - she was just too kind. Kaoru had even spoken to the girl, seeing as they're classmates and all, but the girl showed no hatred towards Haruhi when he asked about the said girl. She just smiled and said Haruhi was a great classmate, kind and considerate and super smart. Kaoru was certain that Kazumi wasn't the culprit. "I don't think it's her. Kazumi's just too nice of a person to do anything mean to Haruhi."

Hikaru, intrigued by this response, lifted up an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Well, you know the horrible girls in our class? The group of three that are always seen together and practically inseperable? Well a girl in a few classes down was being teased about her face or something, and Kazumi stepped in and all."

"But she could still be able to do it."

Kaoru shook his head. "You know how Kazumi is. She thinks of everyone else before herself. She just couldn't bring herself to harm anyone."

Hikaru slowly nodded, agreeing to what Kaoru said. Besides, they were all classmates and Hikaru knew the girl. They weren't great friends, but the twins were very observant. As Kaoru said, Kazumi was too nice of a person to harm anyone.

"What about Aya?" Kaoru questioned, shifting slightly so he could sit more comfortably. Hikaru hummed as he knitted his brows together, unsure of how to answer. There was something about the Kimura girl. He couldn't place his finger on it, but there was something definitely off about her. It could be the fact that she always tries to hide her deep, dark brown eyes behind her massive glasses. Hikaru frowned, thinking about the girl's face. She was pretty, and she shouldn't hide her eyes. They were beautiful. They shone, leaving you speechless when the light hit them correctly, and they always had a gentle express-

"Hikaru?"

Hikaru shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts that filled his mind. What exactly was he thinking about? Aya? Aya was just a classmate, nothing more nothing less. An interesting classmate, so to speak.

"What?"

"You've sat there with a goofy look on your face for a minute or two now."

Hikaru puffed out his cheeks, staring at the corner of the small room than at the face of his brother. Kaoru grinned at him, beckoning him to tell him what was on his mind but in response Hikaru just puffed out his cheeks more, a light pink barely dusting his cheeks.

"Aw, c'mon!" Kaoru prodded, "Tell me what's on your mind."

The elder twin stuck his tongue out, shaking his head. "I was just thinking about Aya. Is it just me or is something off about her? She's always been a bit quiet and interesting, but recently if feels like she's hiding something. I know she's hiding something."

"Could be that she likes you." Kaoru winked, but his face was soon greeted with that of a small cushion that Hikaru was previously sitting on. "Okay, okay. Sheesh." Kaoru muttered, rolling his eyes and placing the thrown cushion behind his back.

"I think she's a suspect." Hikaru's gut instinct was telling him that she was a part of it, but a part of Hikaru's mind was screaming at him, telling him that he was wrong. But he ignored his mind, because he knew in situations like these, you should trust what your gut instinct was telling you,

"Kazumi is out of the picture, but we'll ask Kyoya to keep an eye on Aya or something." Hikaru said, slowly rising to his feet and heading to the door, as the clock in the library chimed midnight.

"But I still think she's hiding the fact that she likes you. You can so see it in her face every time she looks-"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Kyoya stretched back in his seat, placing his phone on the desk beside his laptop. He had just received a text message from Hikaru, informing him that Kazumi Gato was out of the picture. Kyoya had assumed that she was, as he was reading about her on his laptop moments prior. But the dark-haired teen couldn't help thinking about what Hikaru had also typed. It said that he felt something was off about Aya Kimura and that she was a possible suspect. He had also had received a message from Mori, stating that the elder Kimura sister was a little 'off', but Mori couldn't place a finger on what he deemed to be wrong about the girl.

This had to be done. It was for Haruhi's sake. Kyoya didn't want to see her hurt. She was indeed a dear friend to all. So doing what the Shadow King does best, he unlocked his laptop screen and started investigating the Kimura family. He opened up one of his many bookmarks, labelled Family Records and skimmed through the five names he had listed, the corners of his mouth tugging up when he came across Kimura.

X

_Kimura Family Records._

_Moderately well-known family in the fashion industry. A small business compared to that of the Hitachiin's or Suzomoto's, etc._

_Kimura family consists of Robert Kimura - a novelist, Yukino Kimura - the head of Kimura Fashions, Izumi and Aya Kimura. _

_Robert Kimura - A quiet, passionate man. Cares deeply for his family. Not much has been said about the man - currently travelling the world for inspiration for a new novel. He took on his wife's maiden name, dropping 'Kikuchi'. Currently has two brothers, as one died earlier this year. Usually seen well dressed, full head of black hair and wears a pair of thick glasses._

_Yukino Kimura - A properly brought up woman, usually seen wearing a plain kimono of sorts. Deemed kind and motherly by others, manages work with a smile. Loves her family greatly. The Kimura family is full of blondes, her husband being the only exception. Her parents died when she was in university, so she is the head of the Kimura family._

_Izumi Kimura - She tends to Ouran Academy and is in class 3-A, classmates of Mitsukini Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka. Hard-working student who is always serious about her work. Is fond of books, like her father, and is in the Student Council._

_Aya Kimura - She tends to Ouran Academy and is in class 1-A, classmates of Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin and Haruhi Fujioka. Quiet and hard-working. Is very fond of fashion._

_Not much has been said about the Kimura family, and not many know what lies between the closed doors of the Kimura home. What has been reported above was taken from various interviews the Kimura family have been involved in._

X

The dark haired teen read and re-read the short passage that was inches away from his face. As he read it, for what seemed to be the fourth time, his wandering eyes stopped on the name Kikuchi. As he tapped his mouse slowly, exiting the Kimura family records and with his homepage staring at him in the face, he decided to type in Kikuchi into the search bar.

The first thing that had popped up, was a report on what appeared to be a man named Takao Kikuchi.

Kyoya clicked on the name, a document popping up across his screen. Kyoya skimmed through the report, eyes wide as he came across a name he knew all to well - Haruhi Fujioka.

This was about the man who hit Haruhi, who caused her memory loss. But this man had died, crashing his car into an electrical pole. Takao Kikuchi was Robert Kimura's brother… Takao was Aya's and Izumi's uncle… Were the Kimura sisters still grieving over the loss of their uncle? Did they feel that Haruhi was responsible? Haruhi had done nothing, but maybe they didn't see it that way. Kyoya felt like this was the reason strange happenings were occurring to Haruhi.

Picking his phone up, he scrolled the contacts he had, feeling the need to tell at least one of the hosts. But who? If he told Tamaki, he'd cause such a ruckus. Same goes for Hikaru and Honey… Haruhi was definitely not an option… There was Kaoru and Mori left… Kaoru would possibly end up telling Hikaru, causing an even greater problem to unfold. So that left Mori. But before he sent a message to his friend, he shut down his laptop, swivelling around in his chair and faced his bed.

Kyoya typed a message to the tallest host, informing him on what he had just discovered. It wasn't long until his phone quietly beeped, indicating that Mori had replied. Reading through Mori's quick reply, Kyoya frowned. It wasn't that he didn't agree with what Mori had said, it was just the idea of doing so. Knowing who the culprits were, especially that they were in the same classes as four of them, was just an oncoming headache for the Shadow King as he thought about it. But it had to be done... but...it would be done tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow. Most likely after Host Club. He had to make sure Haruhi didn't stick around afterwards, so maybe he should call in Natsumi...? The two were close as two peas in a pod, and Natsumi, as bad as Kyoya and the others, all wanted Haruhi out of harm's away. Unlocking his phone yet again, he typed a quick message to Natsumi asking if she had any plans after school. Seeing as it just past midnight, the dark-haired teen wasn't sure if he would get an answer. Pushing his worries to the back of his mind, he offered a small smile when he heard his phone quietly beep.

**~ Aww, is Specs finally asking me out on a little date? Hehe.**

_**- No, I'm not. And please, refrain yourself from calling me Specs. Wouldn't my name suffice?**_

**~ What about Kyo? Can I call you that instead? And no, I'm free tomorrow. Why do you ask?**

_**- Kyo is much more suitable than 'Specs', so please call me Kyo then. I wanted to know as the hosts and myself are going to stay behind school tomorrow to discuss about the people targeting Haruhi. There's a big chance that Haruhi will stay behind tomorrow to study and I need her out of the school.**_

**~ People? Then there's more than I thought. Do you know who they are?**

_**- I have my suspicions but I will find out in due time. Now, would Haruhi be able to stay with you for awhile? Would you be able to hang out with her for the evening? Me and the others just need to figure something out.**_

**~ Sure, sure. She can come round to mine. I think Haruhi will like that. So, yeah. I'll ask her tomorrow and if she declines, I'll just kidnap her! :D **

_**- Dear lord… Tamaki is rubbing off on you. I'm worried about that.**_

**~ Don't speak bad about Tamaki. I know you love him really. And we've been friends for what, ten years now? What would you expect? And you sir, have rubbed off on me too, so don't you be complaining. And hey, going back to topic… Soon Haruhi will figure out what you're doing, you know. She's sharp.**

_**- Ten years too long that is. I better have rubbed off on you. If there were two Tamaki's running amuck, I don't know what I would do. Yes, I know that. But I hope to get a plan devised before she does. Now, I must leave Natsumi. It was good messaging you, so I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye and goodnight.**_

**~ By 'leaving' you mean, staying up for a few more hours on your laptop, right? Don't overwork yourself, Kyoya. Even the great Shadow King needs to rest sometime too, you know. Anyway, I have to go too. See you tomorrow! **

With a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Kyoya heaved himself up from his comfy chair and ambled over towards his wardrobe, quickly stripping his clothes and throwing on a pair of navy blue pyjama bottoms and a white tee. He wouldn't work on his laptop anymore for the night, as he was tired. The last few nights have taken its toll on the teen, and he was simply too exhausted to do any more. So, he crawled into his bed, placing his glasses on the bedside table beside him and snuggled further down into the covers.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would tell the others who he strongly believed the culprits were. Hopefully by the end of this week, as today was Monday, or Tuesday as it was already past midnight, this event will come to a stop.

And with that thought in his mind, Kyoya rolled over onto his side. Staring at the wall near his face, his eyes closed slowly and soon he succumbed to the gentle embrace of sleep, with tomorrow in his mind.

* * *

A/N: Why hello there everyone, and welcome to the end of the chapter!

I really hope you enjoyed this. I'm sorry for taking absolute ages to update. I was very lazy. I couldn't think of much to write, as this chapter will definetly lead up into the events of the next chapter. I'm hopefully going to make that chapter quite a long one, to make up for this short-ish one.

I'm very sorry for any mistakes, and I'll be sure to fix them if I notice them. Oh... and yeah. I didn't really know what to do with this chapter so excuse me for just limiting the characters. I wanted to write a bit of Kyoya. I like him but not as much as Mori! Still, I have to write a scene for him sometime...

That's all I wanted to say, so thank you again for reading! Again, I apologise for every mistake. That is all.

Goodbye. And until next time.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - "I don't know. I just don't know."

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club

* * *

Blurs of yellow and blotches of blue flew past Haruhi's sight as she weaved her way through the oncoming crowd of students, scuttling amongst them in the opposite direction as she made her journey to the club room. The Host Club was closed today, but that didn't stop Haruhi from heading there. She needed somewhere to study, and the club room was the only suitable place - today, it would be quiet and peaceful.

Haruhi rounded the corner, the Third Music Room at the end of the hall. She gripped her bag, leisurely walking up to the grand doors of the music room. Instead of finding closed doors, she found Natsumi and Kyoya who were quietly conferring amongst themselves about who knows what. The brunette walked closer, lifting a hand and waving at the two, who offered their own smiles and waved back. Kyoya glanced down at Natsumi who stood beside him, nodding his head as he signalled it was time to put their plan into action.

"Hey there, Haruhi." Walking towards the said girl, Natsumi gently grasped Haruhi's wrist. "Do you want to come to my house today? Ryuuji has been pestering me about bringing you around. He would love to meet you!"

Haruhi knitted her eyebrows together, not expecting this at all. Before she had time to answer, Kyoya added, "Don't worry, Haruhi. You can go. There's no Host Club today and you'll have time to revise later. Go, have fun."

"Are you sure, Natsumi? I feel like I'm barging in…"

"Aw, c'mon! Father and Ryuuji will love you." Natsumi dismissed her worry, tightening her fingers around Haruhi's slender wrist. Without waiting for an answer, Natsumi led the way down the hall, back the way Haruhi had just came. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed the confused expression on her friend's face and the smirk on Kyoya's, only to smile at the sight.

The two made their to the front of the massive school, walking down the aisles of neatly trimmed trees, mindlessly talking about their day and so forth. A sleek black limousine was already waiting for them at the gates, accompanied by a brown-haired teen holding the rear door open. Natsumi bounded over, thanking the boy and stepped into the back. Haruhi followed, and so did the boy, gently shutting the door after him.

Haruhi and Natsumi sat across from the door, as the boy sat in front of Natsumi. Haruhi figured this was her brother, Ryuuji. He leant back in his seat, arms folded behind his head, cushioning it as he gazed out the window. He had messy, short brown hair, the same colour as Natsumi's and he shared the reddish glint that his sister had. He had dark green eyes, which was now focused on the passing scenery as the three teens and chauffeur drove to the Nakayama mansion.

"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Natsumi questioned, poking her brother in the shins with the tip of her shoe. Her brother pouted, fixating his gaze on his sister's smiling face. He glanced over towards Haruhi.

"I'm Ryuuji. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Ryuuji. I'm Haruhi."

"I know who you are. Natsumi doesn't stop talking about you." Ryuuji sighed, folding his arms across his chest. The boy looked fourteen or fifteen, and even though he looked quite rough outwards, the brunette felt that he was a kind boy. Haruhi smiled at the boy, who didn't seem to notice as he had his gaze solely fixated outside, not bothering to pay anymore attention to what was happening inside the limo. Natsumi only sighed, rolling her eyes as she muttered about what bad manners her brother had, causing Haruhi to chuckle. Haruhi didn't mind.

Ten minutes of comfortable silence passed, until the chauffeur grandly announced that they havd arrived at the Nakayama mansion. The three teens piled out, the door held open by the elderly chauffeur. They all thanked the man, who nodded in response, hopped back into the limo and drove along a small windy road, running to the side of the mansion. Haruhi stood at the door, her head raised as she stared at the towering building. It was fairly massive, but not as grand as Mitsukini's as she remembered.

The grand, wooden doors swept open revealing a man clad in a neatly ironed suit, who stood at the door with a stern expression set on his serious face. His chocolate brown hair was gelled back, a slight stubble specked his chin and his dark grey eyes shone in the sunlight as he inspected his children and their friend.

"Hello, Father. How did your business trip fare?" Natsumi straightened her back, quickly taking off her glasses, holding them between her hands as she clasped them together, letting them lay in front of her yellow dress for a uniform.

The man said nothing, only ushered his children and their guest inside. Once the grand doors swept closed, only then he answered his daughter.

"It went well." the man sighed, running a hand through his gelled locks, "I hope you and Ryuuji were okay, seeing as I was gone for a few days."

"We were fine, Dad." Ryuuji answered, his hands loosely hanging in his pockets. "Besides, Gray, George, Bella and Lucy were here to keep us company."

The man curtly nodded, turning on his heel and offered a small bob of his head towards Haruhi. "Nice to finally meet you, Fujioka. Ever since you befriended my daughter, she has talked about you non-stop. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise, Nakayama-san. It's a pleasure to meet you." Haruhi responded, offering a small smile as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

The sibling's father held up a hand, a quick roll of his hand informing Haruhi that he did not wish to be called in that manner. "Please, call me Katsuro. Nakayama-san is too formal, if you know what I mean. Please, make yourself at home. I'm sorry I can't stay for longer but I must leave, I have a few classes to teach." And with that, the man left.

"I better be going to." Ryuuji sighed, running a hand through his messy hair, much like his father had done to his carefully gelled locks. "See you, nee-chan, Haruhi." Natsumi nodded, with Haruhi giving a quick wave, and with that he ran up the stairs and to his left, disappearing from sight.

"You know, Natsumi…" Haruhi said, turning to her friend who had now placed her glasses on her slim nose. She cocked her head to the side, as Haruhi continued, "I like your family. You should have brought me around much earlier."

Natsumi laughed, linking her arm with Haruhi and dragged her up the massive staircase. "Uh huh," She grinned.

"No seriously. I'm telling the truth."

"Oh, Haruhi."

* * *

Walking into the spacious Third Music Room, Kyoya let the grand wooden doors gently sweep shut behind him as he stood with his hands behind his back, watching over his friends who sat huddled together in the middle of the room. The Shadow King promptly walked over, placing his hands on the back of one of the two sofas as he gazed, letting his dark eyes wander from everyone's face. Clearing his throat, mostly to try grab his friend's attention and partly because there was small lump in his throat, he finally stood in the spot light as five pairs of eyes swivelled in his direction.

"Haruhi has now left. She is currently heading to Natsumi's mansion, presumably staying there until we finish this matter." The dark haired man stated, giving his glasses a slight push up his slender nose.

"I don't like doing this behind her back, Kyo-Chan…" The blonde Lolita sighed, his words muffled as he snuggled into his pink Rabbit. There was a quiet murmur passing around the group with Mori simply nodding, stating how he did not like this either. But it had to be done. Kyoya did not want to see his friend hurt, after all. Especially since she was in an accident a month or so back.

"I don't like doing this either, Honey-sempai, but it must be done."

"What will happen to us if Haruhi finds out?" Kaoru gasped, his eyes widening ever so slightly. "She'll surely beat us to a pulp…" His words lingered in the air as the group of friends shivered at the mental image they had placed into their minds.

"Heh…" Tamaki nervously gulped, running a hand through his hair as he shook himself free of his dastardly mental image. "Best not to think of that, Kaoru…"

"Guys!" Honey whined, a pout clear on his child-like face as he quietly fumed at his taller friends. It only made him more adorable than he already was, if that was possible. "Let Kyoya speak!"

"Thank you, Honey-sempai." Clearing his throat, he continued, "All of us need to speak to the Kimura sisters." Raising a hand to silence the oncoming shrieks of his worried friends, he said, "Before all of you start screaming at me, I believe it is the best choice of action."

"Now," he continued, "I need two of you to fetch the Kimura sisters. The elder, Izumi will be in the Student Council room, seeing as she is Vice-President. Aya will be located in one of the many libraries, presumably a quite one. Any volunteers?" Kyoya asked, folding his arms across his chest as he inspected each and every face of his friends, watching them closely behind the reflective light emitting from his glasses.

No hands rised, and that was to be expectedd. Facing the twins who sat in front of him, seeing as he was still standing behind one sofa that was closet near the door, he stared at them until they slowly turned round, already foreseeing what was going to be said.

"Hikaru, Kaoru…"

Sighing, the twin rose to their feet, dusting off their blazers as they straightened up and trying to look presentable as they slowly ambled towards the grand doors. "One of you head to the Stu-"

"Yeah, yeah." Hikaru sighed, stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets. "We know." Kaoru added, holding open one door for his brother, ushering him through then following him as he firmly shut the door, cutting off what else Kyoya had to say.

The two twins ambled down the empty hallway, hands stuffed in their pockets as they walked in silence. Both had many thoughts swirling around their minds, hence the silence between the two usually bubbly brothers. Weak sunlight filtered through the high windows, the dust particles floating in the air clearly visible in the small streams of sunlight as they walked down the empty corridors.

It was Kaoru who broke the silence between him and his brother. "I'll go search for Aya's sister, okay?"

Hikaru's only response was a quick nod, as the images of Aya intruded his mind. At the end of the hall, two other hallways branched off on either side. Slowing to a stop, the two brothers stood side by side, each peering down at the empty corridor.

"Student Council's to the left. I'll see you soon then."

It wasn't long before each twin saw each other again where the two corridors branched off, with a blonde slowly following behind them. The two brothers and sisters quietly greeted each other, before trudging along in silence towards the Third Music Room. The two brothers walked in uncomfortable silence, knowing on how the Hosts would let the rage flow from their beings and onto the two poor unsuspecting girls. But it was their fault, or it was one's fault. One sister however, quietly trembled as each step grew heavier, with the Third Music Room looming in her mind. They had found out. They had found out she had tried to harm Haruhi, and now they wanted to punish her. She knew she have never of gone through with her plan… It seemed like a good idea at the time but now, she was regretting her actions. She would be punished. Punished by a few of the most famous and powerful families in all Japan. And it didn't help that her family business was only little compared to the families of the other four men she was anxious to meet…

The grand doors of the 'abandoned' Third Music Room opened in a slow manner, causing one of the Kimura sisters hearts to thump wildly in her chest, the blood pumping in her ears, causing difficulties for her hearing. The twins and the Kimura sisters were greeted with the impassive face of the mighty Kyoya Ootori, his face serious yet calm, showing no emotion. What little emotion was present in his cold, grey eyes was hidden behind his reflective lenses, giving him a scary appearance. She shook slightly, but quickly was brought out of her trembling manner as she was directed into the middle of the room along with her sister. She and her sister were offered a seat by the Hosts and she gladly took one, plopping down unladylike but afterwards, she did fix her posture just ever so slightly. She didn't care, though. She was on her feet all day, and her sore feet need a good rest.

Kyoya took a seat in front of them, with Mori flanking his left and Tamaki his right. The twins stood tall behind Tamaki, and Honey hugged Usa-Chan close to his chest as he sat on the arm of the sofa near Mori, quietly watching the Kimura sisters through calm eyes.

It was silent for a brief moment or two, all quite confused on how they were going to start the conversation. Finally, Kyoya quietly asked the twins to go make tea which they happily agreed to do so, practically skipping away from the awful atmosphere that was slowly building up, consuming the hosts and the two guests, making one guest in particular squirm in her seat.

The elder of the Kimura sisters, Izumi, sat upright with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. Aya on the other hand was slumped back in her seat, arms lazily thrown across her chest. Izumi sighed, rolling her eyes as she gave her sister a sharp jab in the ribs, to which Aya yelped at. Grumbling under her breath, Aya straightened up and mimicked her older sister's actions, glancing at her from the corner of her eye, watching her sister take on the role of the mature and wiser older sibling.

The atmosphere was heavily growing more tense, and the Kimura sisters did not know what to do about it. They were never taught anything for situations like so, they went on their instincts.

"Is there a reason that you sent for us, Ootori-san?" Izumi asked, gently swiping her bangs behind her ear.

"Yes. Can you hazard a guess as to why you were called in here, Kimura?" His cold, emotionless voice hung in the air as the elder sister thought hard about why he said.

"No, Ootori-san. I cannot."

That's it. She couldn't take it anymore. The guilt was eating her up. It bubbled in her stomach, slowly and painfully travelling up her chest, forming a lump in her throat as she noiselessly gulped a few times. Kyoya flicked his head in her direction, the reflective glare from his glasses gone and stared at her briefly, his eyes telling her that he already knew.

"Well," Kyoya mused, "have you heard of Haruhi Fujioka?"

"Yes, I have heard of him. I don't mean to pry but why do you ask?"

She grasped her uniform tightly, her mouth parting slightly so her tongue could slowly run over her bottom lip. She needed to say it now, before her guilt worsened and she couldn't. She needed to say it.

Distracted by the quick arrival of the twins, one carrying a tray full of tea while the other carried a small tray of what appeared to be cake on top of the silver platter, she kept silent for now.

Hikaru and Kaoru handed out a cup of tea to everyone, which the Kimura sisters politely took. Sipping the hot beverage, the atmosphere was suffocating. She couldn't do this anymore, not with this tension looming in the air. She was about to open her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the taller blonde haired man, whose name she thought was Tamaki.

"We'll come to that later. For now, let's finish our drinks and just merrily chat."

* * *

"Natsumi…?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Eh… Because I wanted to?"

"No, seriously tell me."

"Erm, I… uh…"

The conversation between the two best friends continued in such a way like this, with Haruhi laying sprawled out on her back on Natsumi's vast bed and with Natsumi sitting at her desk, drumming her fingers against the old, wooden table.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of pestering, Haruhi finally managed to pry her long awaited answer out from Natsumi. Pouting, Natsumi stared at the corner of the room. "I'm only telling you this because after awhile, you're pestering gets more annoying than Tamaki's."

Smirking, Haruhi only stared at the girl, prompting her to finish her answer. "Well…" Natsumi began, twiddling her thumbs. She wasn't sure on where to begin, and she wasn't sure on how to word it properly so that her friends heads would be safely intact and on their bodies, not on spikes surrounding Haruhi's apartment. "Itwasaplancreatedtolureyouawayfromschoolsotheguys couldbringinandquestionthepeopleouttogetyou." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "So, yeah. That's why."

Her face was stone-like, unmoving and unfaltering as she quietly stared at her friend, who had backed up in her seat and staring at the girl through scared eyes. Breathing deeply, Haruhi tried to calm her raging inner self before she began to talk. "Natsumi." The said girl flinched at Haruhi's calm yet deadly voice, but made no move to speak. "Can you please repeat what you just said but slower?"

"You're here because one, I really wanted you to come over. And two, Kyoya need a plan to get you out of school so he and the host club could find the guys that were out to get you, bring them to the club room and question them. They believed it was the best course of action..."

It was eerily silent in Natsumi's bedroom, and one could see dark aura emitting from the brunette sitting upright on the vast bed. On the outside, she was calm but on the inside, she was fuming. How dare her friends go behind her back and try to sort out her problems? She could understand why of course, but they actually went and did it! Smacking her hand against her forehead, she made sure to scold her friends later when she saw them. They were idiots. Complete and utter fools.

"I'm guessing you want to go back to school and rough 'em up a bit, yeah?" The bedroom door burst open, revealing Ryuuji who stood with his hands in his pockets, his shoulder digging into the wooden door frame.

"Ryuuji!" Natsumi screeched, picking up a small object from her desk and flung it at her brother. The small tiger teddy smacked Ryuuji in the middle of his forehead, and he simply rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't listen in to a conversation between girls!"

Puffing air out from his lips, his bangs fluttered as he stood in the direction of his sister, not saying anything. "I'll call George round with a limo so he can take you there, 'kay?" And with that, he spun round on his heel and walked out the open door, firmly shutting it behind him. Natsumi scurried on over to the door, bending down to scoop the little tiger so it was cradled in her arms as she gently placed it back on her desk.

"I'm…sorry, Haruhi…"

Haruhi breathed out the breath she didn't realise she was holding, running a hand through her hair. "It's okay. You were only worried about me, and I understand that… but that won't stop me from having a very serious talk with you and the others. But, that will be dealt with later. My first priority is to go to school, and face my own problems."

"But..."

"Now, are you coming with me or not?"

* * *

"No, it's true. I remember another time when Hikaru dres-"

Hikaru slapped a hand across his brother's mouth, his face flushed pure red. Glaring at his brother, he forcedly chuckled, "That's enough, Kaoru. I'm sure our guests have had enough now."

Aya chuckled into her hand, setting her tea down with the other as she gazed about the hosts. Swiping a loose bang behind her ear, a devilish smirk appeared on her dainty face. "I would actually love to hear more, Kaoru-kun." She teased.

"Aya, that's enough." The elder Kimura sighed, motioning to her sister to stop teasing the Hitachiin twins. Izumi sighed yet again, shaking her head at her sister's actions, she turned to Kyoya who had leant back in his seat, silent as he watched the conversation unfurl, he himself hidden behind his glasses.

"It has been pleasant chatting to you all but I'm sad to say that Aya and I must leave. I still have to attend to the Student Council unlike Miss Freeloader."

The Kimura sisters were about to rise, when the reflective glare from Kyoya's glasses faded, showing the sad, stone eyes behind. Furrowing their brows together, one in confusion and one slightly anxious to what he was going to say, his words were cut off when they heard talking from the hallway leading up to the Third Music Room.

"_They're here… aren't they?"_

"_Don't kill them on first sight, please."_

"_Once I get my hands on them…"_

"_No bloodshed Haruhi. Well, not in front of their 'guests'…"_

The voices were growing louder with each step they took, becoming closer to the doors of Third Music Room. The Hosts blanked, one Kimura sister furrowed her eyebrows yet again in confusion while the other trembled slightly. She knew it was him walking up the hallway. She didn't want to see him now, but she needed to apologise. She needed to banish this overwhelming sense of regret and guilt, and start fresh. But when she heard his voice, she panicked. He was getting closer, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Suddenly, the doors burst open revealing an enraged Haruhi standing at the door with Natsumi at her side. A heavy, dark aura was emitting from the furious girl, and the Hosts cowered in the seats as they quickly glanced between the two girls at the door, knowing what hell Natsumi had been put through, telling the truth.

As if the dark aura surrounding her never existed, a smile flickered at her lips. "Oh, hello everyone. I didn't expect you to be here. May I please be left alone with Aya and Kimura-sempai? Thank you." The hosts quickly filed out from the room, avoiding eye contact with the girl. As they all passed her, practically hopping from one foot to the other as they tried as quickly as they could to leave, under her breath she said, "I'll see to you guys later. Be. Prepared."

The hosts quickly left, too afraid to stay in the same room with an enraged Haruhi. The doors shut behind them, and Haruhi let out a deep sigh as she and Natsumi walked over towards the Kimura sisters, who slowly rose to their feet to greet them.

"I'm sorry for any problems they may have caused. I hope they caused you no trouble."

"No, not at all Fujioka-kun. Quite the opposite actually. They called us in here, we had tea and we talked for some time." Izumi responded, once again taking a seat. She fixed her uniform before continuing. "Although, before our conversation with the Hosts, Kyoya had said we were called in here to discuss something about you. Do you know what it would be about?"

Haruhi took a seat in front of Izumi, where Kyoya had sat moments before. Natsumi quietly sat down beside her, the light reflecting off the lenses, reminding the Kimura sisters of Kyoya. Shaking that notion out of their heads, they turned their attention towards Haruhi who was happily smiling in their direction.

Humming, Haruhi replied, "I do."

Those two, simple words caused one of the sisters to tremble, not enough to catch anyone's attention, but she trembled. Those two, simple words caused a range of emotions travel through her body, coursing through her veins, and she was ready to burst. The light conversation between herself, her sister and the hosts despite the heavy atmosphere had been a little distraction, but now that Haruhi was there in the flesh, she was enveloped by her feelings.

"Haruhi."

"Hm? Do you want some more tea, Aya? I could go get you some more snacks, if you wish."

"Why…"

Izumi narrowed her eyes, unsure of what her sister had said. Lightly elbowing her on her arm, she told her sister to speak up when spoken to. Aya, whose head had been dipped forward with her bangs partly covering her eyes, along with her glasses, lifted her head and faced Haruhi, with a sad smile set on her face.

Taking off her glasses and gently setting them on the coffee table in front of her, she quietly breathed, "Why…? Why are you being so nice…? Even to me…"

Haruhi was about to speak, but was quickly interrupted by the elder sister. "What do you mean, Aya? What's wrong?"

Her dark brown eyes were full of great sadness, and full of regret as she rubbed one eye, sadly staring at the girl in front of her. She ignored the concerned questions from her sister, and tried to speak. But Haruhi held up a hand.

"It's you, isn't it." It was not a question, but a statement. Haruhi, in that moment, knew the answer she had searched for. "You are the one, correct?"

"Haruhi…" Aya sniffed, her chin wobbling as she raised both hands to her face, driving her palms into her eyes as she tried not to cry. She couldn't cry. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't show just how weak she was.

"Tell me what is going on!" Izumi demanded, staring back and forth between the expressionless classmate of her little sister, and the sniffling self of her sibling. "Please…"

"It was nothing serious, Kimura-san." Haruhi quietly responded, neither showing any kind of emotion in her voice or actions.

"Nothing serious?" Aya screeched, her hands falling onto her lap and tightly clenching her bright uniform between her slender fingers, "I… The pot… If it wasn't for my carefully timed out preparations… It, no I. I could have seriously harmed you, or… killed you..."

"Aya, just what-" Izumi's words trailed off as she finally saw through the cracks of Haruhi's expressionless exterior. Great and utter sadness was etched on the Haruhi's face, and Izumi was speechless. She'd only ever seen that expression when she heard the news. And that's when it clicked.

"You… were the one that Uncle Takao hit…weren't you?"

"Haruhi…" The smaller Kimura sniffed, reaching a hand out to said girl. "You don't… You don't realise how sorry I am… I never intended to seriously harm you…" At this point, Aya broke down in tears. The guilt was just too much to bear, so she let it out.

"I know you didn't, Aya." Haruhi gently took hold of Aya's hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. Aya sobbed harder, the tears cascading down her face onto her uniform, the dark splotches causing weird patterns on the bright yellow of her uniform. "Believe me, I do."

Izumi sat in silence, not knowing what to say, or do or even act. It pained her seeing her sister in a state like this, and knowing that she couldn't do anything to make it better, like she used to when they were kids. Remembering the days of her childhood, caused tears to spring to her eyes. Maybe it was the good memories, or the bad, but they stayed there, no matter how many times she blinked trying to dispel them.

"On our way here, Natsumi told me something. You see, Natsumi is very close to Tamaki and Kyoya. You know them, Aya, don't you?" Haruhi squeezed her hand, tears bubbling in her eyes as she looked at her distraught classmate. When Aya numbly nodded, Haruhi continued. "Well you see, Natsumi told me that your uncle, your uncle Takao Kikuchi, died in a car crash when his car struck me."

Izumi stiffened and ran a finger under her eyes, as she peeked at her sister from the corner of her red rimmed eyes. Was this the reason the Hosts had called them in? And Aya mentioned something about a pot, and that if she didn't plan it correctly, it could have killed Haruhi. Did Aya think that Haruhi was the reason for Uncle Takao's death…?

Wording the question that was lingering on Izumi's mind, Haruhi asked, "I understand where you're coming from, Aya. You must have thought it was my fault, didn't you?"

Still clutching onto Haruhi's hand from across the coffee table, Aya was silent for a moment as she sobbed. All the pain, all the pent-up feelings and all her unshed tears were shed in that very moment, as Haruhi gently held her hand, quietly telling her that it was okay, that it was okay to cry. That it was okay to cry after holding it in for so long.

"Haruhi…" Aya couldn't form sentences, as she was crying to hard. But that didn't stop her from trying. "I… I never wanted to h-hurt you… When I heard that Uncle Takao h-had died, I-I didn't know what t-to do…" Loosening her hand from Haruhi's grasp, she let her hand fall to her lap. "I just fell into a pit of despair… Uncle Takao was really close… to me and my entire family… I-I just…"

Aya took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her jittery nerves. Before she could speak, Haruhi added, "It's okay. I hold nothing against you, Aya."

Blinking quickly, Aya shook her head. "I… lashed out at you… and for that, I'm deeply sorry… I should have known. I… was blinded and I did something stupid, and I deeply and utterly regret my actions. This is really selfish of me… but, I hope you can forgive me."

"Don't be silly, Aya. Of course, I forgive you."

Those three words caused tears to slide down her cheeks and onto her chest. But… were they hers? She reached up and poked her cheek, finding no tears or no wetness. Soon enough, Aya realised that her older sister had buried her face into her neck and that her arms were slung around her body, giving her a firm hug. The older sister was shaking, and Aya knew that she was crying.

"You idiot… Aya, you idiot! Why didn't you tell me these things? I'm your sister and you're… you're supposed to tell me when you're sad!"

Aya only smiled, and wrapped her arms around her sister's shaking form. She gently rubbed the back of Izumi's head, with her sister only nuzzling into her neck further. "Aya… I was so worried. You need to tell me things like this, you idiot…"

Izumi removed her arms, with Aya doing the same. Natsumi held out a small tissue to each sister, surprising the two. The athletic girl only chuckled and waited for the siblings to take their tissue and wipe their snot filled, tear streaked faces. Despite the name calling, and despite everything, the two sisters became closer and they had Haruhi and Natsumi to thank for that.

"Now you guys," Haruhi extended a hand in front of her and to the side, grabbing onto Natsumi's and Aya's hands. Aya then grabbed her sister's other hand, as her right hand was taken by Natsumi's. "I hope... that we can all become close friends to one another."

"Thank you, Haruhi."

* * *

"What do you hear?"

"Nothing, Tono." Hikaru replied, his ear pressed up against the door of the Third Music Room. He and the rest of the Hosts were too afraid to open the door, even just a crack, to hear the conversation among the four girls, so they decided the pressing their ears against the doors was the safest plan to carry out.

As if by cue, the door hand jiggled slightly and opened very quickly. With the twins leaning against the door, they fell forward onto their faces receiving giggles from the girls. Haruhi towered above them with her hands on hips, as she stared down at them, eyes unreadable as her face was partly shadowed. She lowered her hands to the fallen twins and yanked them upwards, causing them to yelp as they were firmly thrown onto their feet. The twins towered above the shadowed faced girl, but were absolutely terrified of what types of torture she had planned out for them. They quickly glanced behind Haruhi, noticing the red rimmed eyes and tear streaked faces of the Kimura sisters. The two pairs of siblings locked gazes for a second, with Aya sticking her tongue out at Hikaru, and with Izumi shyly staring at Kaoru from underneath her bangs, and vice versa. Haruhi noticed this, and smirked to herself. She had a good feeling that she would be seeing a lot more of the Kimura's in the future.

Natsumi sidestepped around Izumi, linked arms with her and the small group of girls and walked on past the Hosts who were gaping at the girls with wide mouths. Haruhi glanced over shoulder, sticking her tongue out at the gaping expressions of her friends and continued along down the halls. Once they reached the corner, the group of girls disappeared from sight with their tinkly laughter echoing in the empty corridors of Ouran Academy.

"So, I'm assuming that they made up?" Hikaru asked, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion as he stared at his twin, and then at the faces of his friends.

"I'm also assuming that Haruhi told them she was a girl, too." Kaoru added, facing the Hosts with a confused expression.

"I'm scared now. She didn't do anything when she came out… What's going to happen to us?" Honey sniffled, burying his face into his pink rabbit's furry body, drowning out his words.

"I don't know. I just don't know."

* * *

A/N: Oh my word. Oh my WORD. First of all, hello everyone!

I'm terribly sorry for the long update. I've gotten way more lazier, school's started and it's only my second week in and I already wish I was off for some type of holiday so I could update better! And sadly, Memories will be coming to an end soon, but hopefully not until the twentieth chapter or something. Maybe this is why I'm prolonging the updates? Oh well.

Before I go, I apologise for any mistakes I've made. Please pardon myself. I'm quite tired when I read through this, so I don't think I've caught all the mistakes. I also really wanted to post tonight because I felt bad for not posting in absolute ages!

So, that's all, I think. I just want to say, I apologise in advance for how long this takes me to update. Also, thank you for sticking with me and reading this chapter. I really hoped you enjoyed this. AND WAIT! I'm sorry for the terrible ending. I just didn't know how to well, end it... But I still hoped you enjoyed it!

That's really I wanted to say, so thank your for reading my rambling.

Goodbye, and until next time.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16- "Does this answer your question?"

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club.

* * *

It was Saturday, and the time was around noon. Haruhi sat on her bed, tapping her feet against her floor as she stared out from her window, watching the passing vehicles drive by. She should have been studying for the oncoming World Geography test on Monday, but no. Mitsukini just had to ring her the day before, asking her if she was free on Saturday. Of course he just had to use his most pleading voice, which happened to be his most adorable voice that he could muster, but she just couldn't say no. Especially since he asked her so politely too.

But, as she was sitting on her bed, thinking of how to say that she just couldn't go, her phone rang, snapping her out from her daze. Fumbling around in her jacket pocket, she finally managed to pull it out with a triumphant smile of sorts.

"Ah, hello?"

"_Haruhi!" _A child like voice sobbed, startling the girl as she blinked frantically, wondering why on earth her friend sounded so distraught.

"Mitsukini?"

"_Haruhi!"_ The blonde haired boy sobbed again, his aching cries echoing around Haruhi's bedroom. Thank goodness Ranka had an early shift, otherwise she'd be facing an enraged, sleep-deprived diva and her crying friend at the same time.

"I need you to calm down." Hearing the sniffles of her friend, Haruhi knew she was on the right track. "I need you to tell me what happened. Are you okay?"

"_Haruhi…"_ The boy started, but soon stopped after being gently hushed by the brunette. _"I'm fine. It's… It's…"_

Fearing the worst possible scenarios, Haruhi was anxious to hear what Mitsukini would say next. "You can tell me." Haruhi murmured, "It's okay."

"_I won't be able to make it today!"_

Face-palming, Haruhi sighed. "Is that the only reason?" Tearing her phone away from her ear, she let out a sigh. Feeling more calm than earlier, she pressed the phone to her ear. "It's okay, Mitsukini. What about the others? Didn't you call them?"

"_About that," _the blonde haired boy sniffed, as he tapped against some furniture. _"no-one else can make it! Well, except Takashi."_

"Come again?"

"_Tamaki is spending time with his Grandmother, Kyoya's at a meeting with his Father, the twins are busy at a fashion thingy with their Mother, Natsumi is staying home to train for her upcoming tournament and the Kimura sisters are busy with the same fashion thingy as Hika-Chan and Kao-Chan. And I have family from America over, and I have to show them around the next few days."_

Silence from the other end worried the boy, so biting his lip, he mumbled, _"You're not mad at us, right, Haruhi?"_

"No, I'm not. How could I? I understand. So… when's Takashi picking me up?" The brunette couldn't help hiding the happiness and excitement in her voice as she mentioned her sempai's name. This caused shock to register on Mitsukini's face, and then a smirk. Fortunately for him, Haruhi couldn't see what was on his face.

"_Oh ho. Are you excited, Haru-Chan? And he'll be round in less than an hour. He's worried on what to wear, you see."_

"S-stop smirking, Mitsukini… I can hear it in your voice."

"_I'll leave you now, Haru-Chan, so you can get ready for your 'date'. Hehehe."_

"It-it's not like that…" Haruhi mumbled, her face becoming flustered with each word. Now that he'd mentioned it, it did awfully sound like a date…

"_Mm-hmm." _he purred.

"I-I swear! It's not like that."

"_Hehe. I'll leave you now. Gotta look good for your date right? I'll tell Takashi to bring flowers, or chocolate. Or fancy tuna."_

The phone beeped a few times, indicating that Mitsukini hung up. Clenching her phone, Haruhi decided that she should change into something more presentable. With a flustered face and grumbling to herself about who knows what, she changed into what she deemed suitable for a 'date' with Takashi. Sighing into her pillow, she flopped down on her bed and decided to stay like that until she heard her front door knock, or something like that.

Would Takashi like her outfit? Was he being forced to do this? Why was Takashi constantly in her mind, making her heart skip a beat when ever she pictured his small, genuine smiles? It wasn't like she liked the guy, right? It was true that she thought about him daily, or maybe even hourly… But all this 'girl talk' with Natsumi, Aya and Izumi, she couldn't help thinking about all of this. Curse Natsumi and Izumi for reading so many romance novels. Stupid romance novels putting ideas into those two book worms' minds, therefore putting ideas into her own muddled mind.

Was she like this before she lost her memories? Did she… like Takashi back then? Rolling onto her side and staring at the wall, surely made her tired. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep curled up in the fetal position. Who knows how long she had lay in that position, but soon enough loud, short knocks abruptly woke the dozing girl, causing her to tumble out of bed and fall to the ground, crying out and landing in a heap on the cold floor.

That must be him. It was Takashi. Pushing her self up, she tried to look presentable as she ran to the cause of her awakening, surprising the man on the other side of the wooden barrier as she yanked open the door at an insane speed.

"T-takashi! I didn't think you'd come."

With an unreadable expression, he gently tousled her messy locks, Haruhi flushing slightly at the contact. She gently eased his hand out of her hair and ending up holding his large hand in her small ones, gently smiling up at him as she tugged him inside.

"Haruhi…" He began, as she firmly shut the door, rubbing her chilled hands together. Although she was standing at the door for a moment or two, the chilly air nipped at her exposed hands, and skin in general. "You look nice."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow and with one hand, gestured to her clothes, which happened to be a blue pullover, a black skirt, white tights and brown boots. Mori simply nodded, causing the small brunette to sigh and shake her head, despite the small smile that was playing on her lips.

"Thanks Takashi. Now, what shall we do?"

* * *

"Promise me you won't get lost."

"But… This place is massive."

"Here, hold my hand." Haruhi instructed, and Takashi instinctively took hold of Haruhi's small hand. The two teens flushed, their cheeks dusting red. Takashi gently squeezed, his slick hand sliding against her own clammy hand. With their faces flushed a bright red, Haruhi led the way through an oncoming horde of shoppers, swiftly dodging the running children, the nagging parents and the occasional shopping bag that came flying their way. Mori stumbled after her, his eyes set firmly on her back as she weaved her way through the crowd. A few couples that passed, looking to be in their fifties or so, cooed and giggled at the two teens, not really helping their situation.

Haruhi stopped in her tracks when she came into a clearing, surprising the taller teen as he slammed into her. He quickly and sincerely apologised for crashing into her, but the brunette dismissed his apology with a slight wave of her hand.

"Is there any particular store you want to go into?"

The taller teen bunched his eyebrows together as he thought about Haruhi's proposal. It wasn't often he went into massive shopping centres, and it wasn't often he was alone with Haruhi. Just thinking about him and Haruhi on a 'date', caused his cheeks to tinge red, but thankfully because of his slightly tan skin, it wasn't noticeable. In all truthfulness, his heart was beating like crazy when Haruhi had held his hand and directed him through the crowd, even it was only for a short while. Even know, when she had stuffed her hands into her jacket pocket, he could still feel the lingering warmth to where her hand had previously been. It just felt right. Him holding her hand, just felt right. And deep down in Haruhi's heart, Mori knew she thought it felt right, that it felt whole.

But going back to Haruhi's question, he quickly prattled, "Is there a pet store here?"

Haruhi chuckled at the expression of her sempai, as she gazed up at his face. His expression was adorable, as his usually emotionless eyes were wide and sparkling, and so full of hope. His lips were parted slightly, and he just stared down at her, a hopeful expression displayed on his face. Thinking hard, Haruhi thought there was a pet shop, or store, on this floor. It had to be somewhere, right?

"Yes, I think so. I think it's on this floor, too."

Once she spoke those words, his whole face lit up and Haruhi couldn't help cracking a grin at the sight of her friend, who would be hopping from foot to foot if it wasn't that he was taught to act properly in public. He grabbed her hand yet again, a slight red dusting his cheeks and gently tugged her behind him as he walked down, searching left and right for a sign that displayed the word pets, or anything like that.

Haruhi followed after him, smiling and blushing like an idiot as she watched his head swivel from left to right, in desperate hopes to find the beloved pet store. She quite liked the warmth emitting from his large hand, that enveloped hers, making her heart beat erratically. Was this what if felt like when someone was in… love? Natsumi had told her, along with Izumi and Aya, that there was no definition of love. She had said love was when he, to the world, he is just one person but to you, he was the entire world. She had said everything seemed right, everything seemed complete and whole. She had said there was no proper definition, so you could only trust your heart. But what did Haruhi's heart tell her?

What did Mori think? That was the main question buzzing around her muddled mind, consuming her thoughts and making her think about the teen in front of her. Glancing down, she gazed at their clasped hands, noting how their intertwined fingers fit snugly together, much like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.

Mori swivelled round, catching Haruhi off guard as she walked straight into his arms. Mori quickly wrapped his arms around her small frame, making sure she wouldn't teeter backwards and fall. She flushed in the position they were standing in, but Mori only beamed down at her, with only a light pink tinting his tan cheeks. Yes, Mori the stoic giant, was beaming. A massive grin was etched onto his face, which led Haruhi to assume that they had arrived in front of the pet store.

The brunette, with a flushed face, shook herself free from Mori's steady grasp, firmly placed her arms beside her as she stared at the tip of her worn boots. Mori, like the gentleman he is, held open the door to the pet store and ushered the girl in, before stepping behind her and gently shutting the door.

Yelping from the small pups first greeted her ears, followed by the crowing of the few parrots, followed by the faint ripples of the water and finally, she heard the faint sounds of crickets, and she shuddered. Bugs were a big no-no.

"Takashi?"

He glanced over his shoulder, peering down at the girl who spoke his name. He lifted an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. Smiling, she said, "Have fun."

* * *

"Thanks for today, Takashi. It was really fun." The two were walking side by side, the sun low but in the stages of setting. The low sun caused the two teen's shadows to appear massive, compared to the two. Even if the two didn't do much on their little date, it had been fun nevertheless. Just being in each other's company was enough to make the two content, so it had been bliss when they had spent so long together, walking around the massive shopping centre, window-shopping, going into the many stores and browsing, or just talking.

Mori hummed in response, sneaking glances at the girl from the corner of his eyes. The teen felt his hand itch to hold hers again, to let their fingers intertwine as they leisurely walked back towards Haruhi's apartment. Would Haruhi think it strange? Would she think it strange that Mori would want to hold her hand, even though they weren't facing an oncoming horde of people like they did in the shopping centre? Mori was unsure, but he wanted to carry it out. But would he just grab her hand, or would he ask first? Being the gentleman that he was, he settled for asking her first, to see if she was okay with it.

"Haruhi…" Facing Mori's direction, she tilted her head slightly, coaxing him to continue. Taking a deep breath to steady his jittery nerves, he thought about how he was going to word what he was going to say next. Deciding on not to beat around the bush, he said, "Can we hold hands?"

Haruhi stopped in her tracks, her face steadily turning bright red, much like a tomato as she blinked up towards her sempai, who looked away bashfully. Mori was sure she would say no, and scold him for asking a question like that, but what surprised Mori the most was her actions, other than her words.

She quickly took hold of his hand, squeezing it gently as she offered a smile up at her friend. Could she even call him that anymore? Could she call him a friend, when she had feelings for him? With her cheeks dusted a bright red, contrasting with her pale complexion, she dumbly nodded and Mori's heart swelled at the sight.

They continued to walk in comfortable silence for a few moments, until that silence was broken by Haruhi. "Takashi… d-do you l-like me?"

Confused on why she would ask such a question, because surely he had portrayed his feelings for the girl before, had he not? Or maybe he didn't show it well enough... With a quick burst of speed, he pulled the blushing girl into his arms, wrapping his arms around her waist as he set his chin on top of her hair, breathing in the scent that was Haruhi. She smelt faintly of strawberries, which Takashi loved.

"Does this answer your question?"

* * *

A/N: Hello there, and welcome to the end of the sixteenth chapter!

I really hoped you enjoyed reading this. And before I type anything else, I apologise for all the mistakes that are present. In due time, I will fix them. Just not now, not at the moment. I also apologise for that little bit at the end... Is that what you call 'fluff'? I'm not sure, but I do know I'm not great at writing them! Oh well. Maybe it will get better over time?

I'm very sorry for the long update. I think it's because of school, homework and general laziness combined, meaning that there hasn't been a frequent update in ages. I'm even sure I haven't updated Bittersweet Taste of Freedom in about two weeks... but I'm working on it! Maybe it will be up in a few days, or so.

That's all I wanted to say, and thanks again for reading this chapter. It really means alot, and thank you. WAIT! Before I go, I want to thank all of you, who read, favourite, follow and review this story. Thank you, so much. It really means alot to me. You have made me the happiest girl on the world, so thank you.

Okay, so that's really all I wanted to say, I think. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.

Goodbye.

And until next time.


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